Hallucinatory Ballade #1 (after Berryman) Options

[RC James]

Maxwell felt, heart area,
a matter burdensome,
massive, so even a century
of bewailing, awake walking, never
set him down a way aright.
Recurring, Maxwell suffers sounds,
slight hacking next door, a smell.

And his other way thinks
a Warhol face a thousand years on
spinning still, will clear be past
what he calls innocence.
Here or there, not a matter,
try again, crying disallowed,
do it, just do it.

Hallucinations, fatigued, showed
Maxwell a type assassin to be,
but his blade had no reach,
no hacking and hiding pieces
obvious where friends could find.
In the index he keeps,
at dusk, taking count,
discovers he, everybody,
everybody’s here.

[Psyche]

Hi Richard,
I'm popping in to tell you that I've read your lovely poem, but will have to return and re-read it.

We're having a spot of trouble in Acropolis because the W.Wordsworth challenge had moved way down to page 5 or 6. Assorted threads were started, I believe one of yours. I've now pinned this WW challenge at the very top, but didn't move the whole thread because it's extremely long and old. I included a link so that everybody can peek and enjoy!

I'll move it down to the Acropolis forum so everybody can post in the same thread. The phrases are the same ones (I hope).

Syl

[Psyche]

Wow, Richard, this is impressive. I've read Berryman's poems -long ago- and find his style peculiar.

Not long ago, I posted a poem of my own inspired by Berryman.

Yours is far better. I wouldn't dare to nit anything, precisely because the style is unusual and I would only mess up.

I imagine this is about a person who suffers from hallucinations or somesuch mental ailment.

Congratulations! The poet in you is in full display here.

Syl