Useless

Useless

This shelter is threadbare

like a low-battery flashlight,

barely making a dark corner visible.

I sang to find an easeful slumber.

I left my empty bin by the road,

begging for a refill.

Summer is behind me.

The grass is torn

from tiny claws and pecking.

I live below the breathing line

and there is no way to rise higher

or join a harmony to unfasten my chains.

Attempting flashing solutions in a frantic rush

trying for escape, but the land I stand on

is too hard to burrow under

and there are no trees to climb.

I wait for the door to open, knowing the door

is just a dream. That sickly feeling overflows

as each effort I make for freedom

deflates, fruitless, impotent.

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

“The poems included in Allison Grayhurst’s poetry collection Running, lightwave riding reveal an impressive artistic perfection and creative energy. The poems are full of lyrical force and show freshness of style. No doubt, this is a significant work. The poems have great power of observation and originality of imagination,” Dr. Karunesh Kumar Agarwal publisher Cyberwit.net

First published in “Kavya Kishor” March 2023

https://en.kavyakishor.com/2023/03/07/poet-allison-grayhursts-poems/

Review of book “Running, lightwave riding” by reviewing poem “Useless”:

Karunesh Kumar Agrawal

5.0 out of 5 stars This poem evoke a sense of weariness and longing for something better.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 20, 2023

This shelter is threadbare
like a low-battery flashlight,
barely making a dark corner visible.
I sang to find an easeful slumber.
I left my empty bin by the road,
begging for a refill.
Summer is behind me.
The grass is torn
from tiny claws and pecking.
I live below the breathing line
and there is no way to rise higher
or join a harmony to unfasten my chains.
This poem evoke a sense of weariness and longing for something better. It seems like we’re expressing a feeling of being trapped or confined in a less than ideal situation, both physically and emotionally. The imagery of a threadbare shelter, a low-battery flashlight, and an empty bin all convey a sense of lack and depletion.The line about singing to find easeful slumber suggests that we may be seeking solace or comfort through self-expression, using music or singing as a form of escape or release. However, the mention of the empty bin by the road, begging for a refill, implies a longing for sustenance or fulfillment that remains unmet.