Pondering fate’s shuffle
she begins to look
further on ahead
there between truth
and falsehood
a little empty space
a grey nothingness
a place void of color
somber and strange
there consequence
collides with circumstance
as all falls silent
she gazes and wonders
is this the place
of all conclusion
is this the place
time ceases dominion
and forever reigns
is this the place
of insignificance
of death before dying
the place she is not valid
she is not invalid
she simply — is not
peering into this moment
she sees quite clearly
her true trepidation
not the fear of losing life
it’s the fear of losing cognizance
becoming irrelevant
becoming invisible
of fading slowly away
*
rob kistner © 2022
More poetry at: dVerse
“Fading away, in pieces and parts, like old china and glass, in fragments and shards”
Oh yeah, that’s the Rob I know. Excellent in message and brevity. I think your last stanza resonates with most of us. I liked “there consequence collides with circumstance, as all falls silent”, and “is this the place of insignificance, of death before dying”
Thank you Glenn. I think when we are young and the world is our sandbox — the thought of dying is so far from our consideration as to be insignificant, and rightly so. As we grow, we often begin to feel the essence of death, the tug, often also the fear of death, that it will consume us. Then at the end, death loses its fearful grip, and becoming insignificant, or even losing our perception, is more troubling than death — which may then become seen as our final escape. Its all relative brother, but it roils and boils my friend — and we ride the tide.
This was really great writing Rob. I particularly liked these lines:
is this the place
of insignificance
of death before dying
It certainly made me wonder.
Thank you Christine… 🙂
Rob, this will resonate with so many! That last stanza sums up all those fears so aptly. Thank you so much for finding time to write this beautiful verse.
You are most welcome Punam, I am pleased this resonated for you, and perhaps others… 🙂
A fantastic write Rob!
Thank you so much Linda… 🙂
That space can become a void yet feel so constrictive in the weight of consideration.
Yes Ken, it can constrict one to the point of crushing our effective presence in the world around us. That space where we are considered neither valid nor invalid. Rather, we become essentially invisible, making us wholly insignificant — a very sad and exasperating “death before dying”.
Fading away … your poetry makes it seem gentle, nothing to fear, a stretched out remembering of moments that make up life. And your poem is exquisite.
It is when all remembering’d are slowly fading, then lost — that is the “death before dying”.. and terribly sad. Also, when, because we are aging, we become less and less effective, as to be considered insignificant — that is also, for the particular individual, a very sad disheartening “death before dying”.
A beautiful existential pondering, Rob.
That you Lisa. Existentialism and sensuality, that’s how I like to roll my friend… 😉 🙂
I do think we all wish to be remembered. Well said Rob.
Thank you Kerfe. Equally, I think we all want to “seen” while we are still here — to the end.
“fate’s shuffle.” – I’ve heard that everyone is dealt a handful of cards in life; although, I think that how any individual “plays that hand” (continuing with the metaphor), is what significantly determines one’s path in life, as the result of exercising one’s free will. Your poem delves into the exploration of the space between truth falsehood, in a unique way. Much to ponder upon here.
I am pleased it sparked your thought Tzvi.
That is a great and real fear. I hope all is well Rob.
All is fine Grace, thank you.
Thought provoking indeed Rob! Well expressed.
Thank you Carol… 🙂
Yes, the place of insignificance, so awful, worse than death as you say, worth and identity, value and being come through and speak loudly in this poem Rob.
Glad it resonated Paul.
Loved these lines, Glenn
the place she is not valid
she is not invalid
she simply — is not
Not sure who Glenn is, unless you mean my friend Glenn Butkus? However, you are on my site, “Image and Verse”, and those are my words — I am rob kistner. That said, I am pleased that you liked my words Reema, thank you very much. 🙂
So well written, Rob. I fear that fading away, too.
My mom did not have Alzheimer’s, but in her final years, she had definitely faded away from who she had been.
Thank you Merill. Aging causes us all to fade away to some degree. The one thing that frustrates me is that many younger people think we seniors know nothing — so they fade us away by their attitudes. They place us in the irrelevant box, and turn a deaf ear to what we say. They “kill” us before we are dead. Hard as hell to escape that grave. Much of the western societal inclination is to ignore their seniors. It is a weakness of attitude and sadly buries much useful wisdom.
Alas… fading is what awaits most of us…
Sadly so Bjorn.