Self defeating…cycle repeating.

Self defeating…cycle repeating.

You fly to me

And stick like glue.

It is so hard to shake you off

The bloodied soul

Hanging from my coat tail

Stuck on my shoe

Worn like a shackle

Hindering every step

A shadow forged in

The heart of my darkness.

What of this life

With its reek

Of disappointment

And self appointed criticism.

Failure embedded in every

Simpering attempt

To snip the fetal chord

That binds us

To our past.

Success an impediment

A barely tolerated distraction

Rarely celebrated

When it has interfered

So thoughtlessly

With the process

Of self flagellation.

Defeat is success

A recognition

In its own right

When it becomes a goal

So easily attained.

Given the weight of expectation

Heaped so high

Alongside the grave you dig

For yourself

It is a wonder

You can lift your

Downcast eyes

To the sky

And see the heavens

Let alone

Seek a better way

Demand a clearer course.

Is it a brave life

When accompanied

By so much fear

That each breath feels like a risk

Every time you reach out

Your hand

It is bitten off.

And the neediness you feel

Is as thick as treacle

In the mind’s eye

Of all who look upon you

As a reflection

Of the lie

They tell themselves.