The night felt cold, sickening, and darkening.
My candlelight was flickering, rain softly trickling.
In rhyme my teeth was chattering, a haunting refrain.
News of workplace trouble shot darts without refrain.
Mean and seen, they were.
Yet I felt invisible and aware.
News of loved ones crept in like a thief.
Stealing my warmth, deepening my grief.
Yet I had bear this pain twice, in silence so still.
To harden my heart like a frost and in hands shakingly chill.
To learn that death had made them invisible, I saw their last breath, irreversible.
I worked to be invisible, shadowing my cloak.
I walked in favor, believed in Hope's clock.
For though I may fade in their eyes, like a flickering light.
My results will return to rise, invincible, bright.
In the coldest of winters, I’ll find my own way , Invisible.
Through darkness and sorrow, I’ll learn how to stay, Invincible.
Poet of the Winter · page 26 · Hear it on the channel ↗
Commentary
This poem is a profound meditation on resilience, grief, and self-empowerment in the face of adversity. Through striking imagery and rhythmic phrasing, it explores the journey from isolation to strength, highlighting the dual themes of invisibility and invincibility.
The poem begins with an oppressive night—cold, dark, and burdened with sorrow. The flickering candle and trickling rain set an atmosphere of unease, mirroring the internal turmoil of the narrator. Workplace troubles pierce like darts, making him feel invisible despite being painfully aware of the harshness surrounding him.
As the poem unfolds, grief deepens. The loss of loved ones is likened to a thief, stealing warmth and intensifying the narrator's pain. Death is personified as an irreversible force, turning those lost into shadows of memory. Despite enduring hardship twice, the narrator fights against emotional numbness, attempting to harden his heart against sorrow.
However, rather than succumbing to despair, the narrator finds purpose in perseverance. He embrace invisibility, shrouding themselves in quiet resilience, trusting time (Hope’s clock) to bring change. Though he may fade in others' eyes, he remain determined that with efforts will shine brightly in the future. In the poem’s final declaration, choosing endurance over defeat and walking forward with unwavering strength.