How do you move on, when you can barely move?
When your feet weigh a ton
And you can't seem to stretch it beyond
The circumference of pain and hurt.
How do you see, with blurred vision ?
When your sight is clouded by a pool of tears
Threatening to overflow it's brinks
Like an avalanche in full rage
How do you speak, when you can't find your voice ?
When you seem to have lost it in the sea of thoughts
Vying for dominance in your head
A real battle of the mind.
How do you cope when you've run out on hope
When you feel submerged beneath a heavy cloak
And life seems like a chokehold
How do you cope, when life's got no jokes?
Breakdown of the Poem: How Do You Move On?
The poem explores the feeling of being overwhelmed by emotional pain and the struggle to find the strength to carry on. Let’s break it down stanza by stanza, analyzing the meaning of each line:
Stanza 1: The Weight of Anguish
- “How do you move on, when you can barely move?”
- “When your feet weigh a ton and you can’t seem to stretch it beyond”
The poem opens with a powerful question that sets the stage for the speaker’s struggle. The act of “moving on” implies a desire to overcome a difficult situation. However, the speaker feels physically drained and weighed down by emotional pain. “Feet…weigh a ton” is a powerful metaphor that emphasizes the feeling of being immobilized by hardship. It’s as if the speaker is rooted to the spot, unable to take the first step toward healing.
Stanza 2: Blurred Vision and Confined Reality
- “The circumference of pain and hurt.”
This line completes the metaphor of the first stanza. The speaker’s emotional burden creates a defined “circumference,” a limited space within which they are trapped. This imagery emphasizes the feeling of being confined by their pain. It’s as if the pain itself creates an inescapable boundary, hindering progress.
Stanza 3: Loss of Voice and Drowning in Thoughts
- “How do you speak, when you can’t find your voice?”
- “When you seem to have lost it in the sea of thoughts”
The speaker feels unable to express themselves. They’ve lost their “voice,” which could symbolize the inability to articulate their pain or a sense of powerlessness. The “sea of thoughts” represents the overwhelming emotions that keep them silent. This imagery suggests that the speaker is drowning in their mind, unable to find a surface to breathe or a voice to express what they feels.
Stanza 4: The Internal Battleground
- “Vying for dominance in your head”
- “A real battle of the mind.”
This stanza delves deeper into the speaker’s internal conflict. Different thoughts and emotions are “vying for dominance,” creating a mental “battle.” This battleground imagery emphasizes the intensity of the speaker’s struggle. The different emotions are fighting for control, making it difficult for the speaker to find clarity or peace within themselves.
Stanza 5: The Depths of Despair and Suffocation
- “How do you cope when you’ve run out of hope”
- “When you feel submerged beneath a heavy cloak”
The speaker reaches a point of despair. They’ve “run out on hope,” suggesting a feeling of utter hopelessness. The “heavy cloak” is a powerful metaphor for the burden of their emotional pain, which is suffocating them. This imagery evokes the feeling of being weighed down and unable to rise above their circumstances.
Stanza 6: The Chokehold of Life and Absence of Joy
- “And life seems like a chokehold”
- “How do you cope, when life’s got no jokes?”
The speaker feels strangled by life itself. “Chokehold” emphasizes the feeling of being controlled or restricted. It suggests that life feels more like a constant struggle for survival than an experience with any joy or humor. The final line adds a touch of bitterness, suggesting that the speaker feels life has lost its meaning and become a relentless source of difficulty.
Overall Tone: Where Whispers of Resilience Fight the Deluge: Free Verse Poem
The poem is filled with despair and a sense of being overwhelmed. The speaker is struggling to find the strength to move forward in the face of immense emotional pain. However, the question format throughout the poem leaves a sliver of hope. By asking “How do you move on?”, the speaker acknowledges the desire to find a way out, even if they don’t have the answer yet. There’s a sense of searching, a yearning for a solution despite the overwhelming darkness.
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