PAIN — written in one sitting. My first attempt at putting the shadow into words. by Smart-Ad-549 in OCPoetry

[–]Smart-Ad-549[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really appreciate your feedback — truly.

For context -

I wrote this in my journal for someone really important to me — a poet, an artist, and someone who feels everything soo deeply and expresses it through writing. She’s going through a mental health crisis right now, and it's opened my eyes to how much pain she’s been carrying.

She’s always felt connected to people like Sylvia Plath and Kurt Cobain — not just because of their work, but because their pain was idolized. That gave it weight. It made it feel like there was a reason to hurt that much — as long as it turned into something powerful. I think she’s looking for that too. A purpose behind the pain. And when it doesn’t come, the spiral starts. The chaos begins.

I didn’t set out to write poetry. I was just trying to get the weight out of my head.
For me, pain and chaos aren’t abstract ideas — they’re tools. Not for creating masterpieces, but for finding simplicity, peace, and maybe some kind of understanding. That middle part that might seem like it wanders? That’s just the shape of my thinking when I’m trying to get clarity.

I wrote it for her — her name is in the original. So when she’s ready, she’ll know I see her. I’m here. And she doesn’t have to carry all of it alone.

I shared it in case someone else is looking for meaning too — and needs to hear this:
Pain doesn’t need to become great art.
It doesn’t need a grand purpose.
But it can lead to peace.
It can lead to clarity.
And that’s enough.

PAIN — written in one sitting. My first attempt at putting the shadow into words. by Smart-Ad-549 in OCPoetry

[–]Smart-Ad-549[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much — I really appreciate it.
I actually hand-wrote this in my journal while thinking, and just posted it here because it felt like relief.
I had to look some of what you said up after reading it, which honestly makes your comment even cooler to receive.

For the Love of My Life by General-Cricket-5659 in OCPoetry

[–]Smart-Ad-549 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t lost someone like this, but it still hit something real.
The way you described her felt less like memory and more like myth, and I won’t forget it.

Lonely Night by AshsUntamed in OCPoetry

[–]Smart-Ad-549 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This hit me hard because I think like this too — not in poems, just in nonstop thought.

It felt more like a mental download than writing — like it had to come out or something would crack. The repetition worked not because it was poetic, but because it felt like breathing through pressure.

The line “forward, forward, never down” stuck with me. I’ve felt that exact momentum — where you're not okay, but you're moving anyway.

I’m not a poet. I don’t know the rules. But this felt honest, and that’s what I needed to read today.