Be Satisfied | Teen Ink

Be Satisfied

July 9, 2012
By Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Outsiders who see rules and not the love that runs through them are often too ready to label other people as 'prisoners'." -Iris Murdoch in The Sea, The Sea


That pleasant stench sticks to me.
On my hair, on my fingertips,
I taste it on my lips.
The scent of apathy brought on by monotony,
Stagnancy through uncertainty,
The reason I can sit for hours,
Waiting for the sun to go dark,
Or my mind to disembark.
Whichever comes first please.

And I do not combat fate as so many often do,
I await it.
Pondering its nature,
Anticipating its arrival,
I sit not with fear but with curiosity,
Knowing full well that I cannot know,
And thinking nonetheless.

And many times I have swam in the waters of the conventional,
But instead of a brook I found a dam,
Being trapped by the very salesmen who first enticed me to swim.

I have found that way of life to be full of hoops though.
Littered with activities resembling pushing boulders and chasing wind,
Offering fulfillment at every turn yet never dispensing it.

What is seldom mentioned however,
Is that fulfillment is self-administered.
No digital doctor or luxurious alleviant can flood your IV with satisfaction,
Because satisfaction is a state of mind,
You must find it within yourself,

Deep in whichever meditative crevice seems appropriate,
In some corner of the soul,
Where self-awareness resides,
Where feelings of adequacy reside,
Any place that offers some plausible way of life.

And so I sit,
Stewing in thought,
Breathing the air,
Knowing I'm as fine being here as anywhere.



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This article has 2 comments.


Matt27 SILVER said...
on Jul. 12 2012 at 3:33 pm
Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Outsiders who see rules and not the love that runs through them are often too ready to label other people as 'prisoners'." -Iris Murdoch in The Sea, The Sea

Thank you, truly, I didn't notice the swam/swum thing and your input definitely points out some weaknesses in my poem. I totally agree with your comparison of this poem to yours though; they both seem to point towards the same end.

on Jul. 12 2012 at 3:01 pm
thetruthawaits94 SILVER, Duncan, Oklahoma
9 articles 0 photos 351 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.

Wow! This is a great poem! I love your word choice and the overall message. Especially because I have often thought along the same lines. This is an exceptionally thought provoking piece, and i truly appreciate works like this. Ones that really MEAN something. 

If you wanted to make any changes to the piece then i would:

1. On third stanza first line- swam should be swum. (even though i hate that word swum- sounds so wrong :))

2. On fourth stanza first line- maybe change hoops to loopholes or loops. I have never heard hoops used this way.

3. Choose another word for reside the second time.

Those are the tiny changes i saw. Besides that, in my opinion this is wonderful! Keep writing!