Sometimes I look back on the patterns of psychological abuse I have endured and wonder what kind of state I must have been in to carry it all so lightly, and... silently.
There’s a quiet, painful art to coping with pain only after you’ve made it through. I still don’t know if that speaks to strength or the opposite.
LinkedIn still seems to suggest I could end up in some sort of military unit. "The secret to gaining the upper hand is giving the other side the illusion of control," it said—tactics from a former FBI hostage negotiator. I could think of a thousand other topics that appeal more to me, but something about that struck a chord. If epigenetics is real, maybe the women before me mastered the art of subtle survival—finding the gentlest path through danger without calling it out.
All I do is look back. It’s happened too many times. I was 4, I was 9, I was 14, I was 19, I was 24, I was... there, hoping my silence has its own voice. I see the patterns... and I made it through each time.
Yet, I still don’t know if that speaks to strength or the opposite.
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139,345 Literary Works • 672,539 Reviews
Hello, My Friend!
I hope you are doing well this day/night! I spotted this poem in the Green Room and hoped to give it a review. Hope you don't mind!
To start, wow! This is a very real, raw, and uniquely beautiful exploration of a personal experience—or rather, a whole string of personal experiences. I like this style of not trying to "clean up" here, instead just writing it plainly and as best as words can capture this train of thought and emotion. Immediately, I'm drawn in by this great question about coping with pain and reflecting on what you've endured, then the way it talks about tangible skills in places like the FBI or military, or this repetitive state of reflecting, kinda feels like it's trying to assign some degree of use for it, perhaps? Likewise, I love this question about whether coping and dismissing the pain is strength or the opposite.
BUT, of course, this is just my interpretation! Sorry if I am off-base here.
*ahem* As far as a technical review goes, I don't really have any recommendations to give! I like this as-is.
As for favorite lines and parts, I would have to pick:
Again, I love this question that you bring up, and how it repeats after you tell us about epigenetics and how stuff like this is applied in the FBI or military.
Another great part was this, the idea of predecessors surviving in their own painful experiences. And the way you word it, "finding the gentlest path through danger," is so poetic in and of itself, I almost forgot this was prose.
Overall, that was an amazing piece, and thank you for sharing it!
"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."
"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”
"I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty."
Hi GeeLyria! Stopping in to review this work
is what perfectly incapsulates the true meaning of the poem and the question the narrator is battling with, which is then echoed in the last line. It leaves the reader pondering themselves the question of strength or weakness, and allows the reader to empathize with the narrator.This is such an incredible piece of work that tugs on the heart strings. Prose poetry allows the writer to write truly as if they are speaking, even breathing, the words. They're statements with layers of meaning and emotion tied to them. The title "Epigenetic Prose" is intriguing, and makes the reader want to know more.
You set up the poem immediately touching on a sensitive topic for the narrator as they are reflecting past events and past emotions that have only stuck with them. The line,
The middle section shows a story here that brings the reader into the real world without being disconnected from the emotional weight of the poem but rather brought in deeper as we (the audience) are let into the thoughts and mindset of the narrator. This was really well done and the use of the exploration of the word "epigenetics" is both fascinating and ties the title of the poem in perfectly.
Lastly, I want to touch on the line, is a beautiful line that feels raw, emotional, and even relatable. It strengthens the question of "strength, or the opposite" and emphasizes the reader understanding the internal conflict of the narrator.
Overall, this is such a beautiful work. I love the ways poets can play with prose poetry and this poem works wonderfully in the prose format as opposed to if it was written in standard verse. Love the way you brought the reader into deep emotions without drowning them. Nothing but praise!