R.M. Dolin, January 23, 2024
Steady glides the descent into
the deep. Tossing and tumbling in free fall,
bouncing off rocky ledges of false anchors
before being torn away by strengthening currents
of viscous indifference leaving fewer and fewer
reasons for hope. Deafening darkness encroaches
with eerie echoes from the bottomless void,
mocking at how far my fall is from finished.
Chaos consumes every breath,
every turn, leaving attempts to slow down and narrow
tarnished in poorly painted ridicule.
Each time the path levels, providing just enough space
for peace, some random something causes
footings to give way reigniting gravity
tied to the darkness of deepening despair,
evaporating all pretense and expectation
salvation is obtainable.
Background poem for the novel, “The Dangling Conversation.” Capturing Olivia’s deepening darkness from her perspective. Written while flying 1st class to Key West, which is oddly ironic. But then again, I was still dealing with the aftereffects of the fentanyl and Oxy they gave me in the emergency room after being hit by a car on my bicycle.
