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What lies beyond? / A journey beyond

by JSadler


What lies beyond?

I have a morbid curiosity,
for what lies beyond.
I can feel the barrier,
a sturdy brick wall,
a dam, blocking the river.
I trace my finger
along the rough bricks
What lies beyond?
I'm dying to know.
I yearn for an answer,
to the greatest mystery of mankind.
The question which has shaped humanity
for eternity,
the endless back and forth debate
like the pull of the tide.
What lies beyond?
It hurts to know,
likely, I will never find the answer.
Even in death, there may be nothing,
an emptiness, a void

which we cannot understand,
and never will.
An unanswerable mystery,
I have wasted my life over.

A journey beyond

I travel down a river,
black waters rushing malevolently
as the undercurrent pushes me on,
forwards, onwards, unending.
There is a cold stench in the air.

I think back,
it feels like an eternity ago, 
those sterile, crisp white hospital sheets 
pressing down, crushing me.
The final sensation,
before the inevitable plunge
into an ominous darkness.

A never-ending winter,
a freezing limbo I am stuck in
meandering down this dark river,
water deeper than my soul.
The wind is a tidal wave,
a great force I fight against unwaveringly.

Somehow, I blink
in this ethereal body
and there, burning through
this transitory plane
is a light.
The bleak white hospital lights?
No. It's warm.
Like blissful music.
The river melts away
into the pulling tide,
of the sea of glowing incandescence.


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Tue Aug 06, 2024 7:58 pm
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EllieMae wrote a review...



Hey there! I really love these two poems. I found that they touched on some fairy deep topics. I love reading poetry like this so much, because it really allows me to think, and reflect on my own life, as well as my own beliefs. Let's jump right into the review:

the endless back and forth debate
like the pull of the tide.
What lies beyond?
It hurts to know,
likely, I will never find the answer.
Even in death, there may be nothing,
an emptiness, a void


This is such a beautiful reflection of death, and what is beyond our life. It's true, there's no way to know in this life what will happen. I think that's actually really beautiful. Because it's one thing that units all of humanity. It's one thing that all people who have ever lived having common. We don't know what's going to happen when we die. But only those who have died now. Something that brings me peace, but also a lot of anxiety. I like how you don't hold back in this poem. You say things that might be scary. Perhaps, when we die, there's nothing. Perhaps a void of darkness or nothing at all. It could be good or it could be bad too.

It's a very scary thought, to think that you'll get to death and realize that you have wasted your entire life. I think your home touched on that a lot. It's terrifying, but also profoundly beautiful in a way.

Somehow, I blink
in this ethereal body
and there, burning through
this transitory plane
is a light.
The bleak white hospital lights?
No. It's warm.
Like blissful music.
The river melts away
into the pulling tide,
of the sea of glowing incandescence.


The second poem seems to follow someone as I die. They're going on this journey, is it a hospital, or is it death. Perhaps their body is still there, and they are not completely gone, but they finally succumb to this river pulling them like a tide, luring them farther and farther away from life. Where they will go, when they finally leave, we don't know. I like that. You don't give us an answer. You let us think and hope and believe. I like how you go through good and bad in this poem. Some parts of it sound terrifying but some parts of it sound peaceful. And some parts sound like a mix of both or nothing at all. Whatever the answer is, I know that will find out someday. Or maybe we won't this made me think a lot, so thank you so much for writing it. Have a wonderful day!

Your friend,
Ellie




JSadler says...


Hiya, thank you so much for this lovely review!!
You totally got exactly what i was going for with these poems and it always makes me so thrilled whenever anyone says they enjoy my writing
Death is my one of my favourite things to write about as, like you said, it is one of the only things that unites us all. The mystery and not knowing is so powerful and at times absolutely terrifying. But I love what you said about being able to find beauty in that - it makes life so much more precious and meaningful that we don't know what (if anything) comes next. I often get lost in an endless spiral of thoughts about it!
Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to read my poem and comment on it :3



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Thu Feb 15, 2024 5:19 pm
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Lullaby wrote a review...



Hello! I read your poem and really wanted to write my thoughts on the piece. First, I want to thank you for having the courage to share your poetry online, it takes a lot to share that part of your mind with strangers who can pick it apart. I will begin with things I found favorable in my eyes before moving on to any suggestions (if I have any). Let’s begin!

→ I want to begin by saying I felt really drawn to review and give thoughts on this poem. The two stories, and perhaps poems themselves, combined into a singular work means that these two must connect somehow. The titles seemed to go together, I was intrigued to know more.
→ Upon reading the first.. Poem? Part? Section? Forgive me. “What lies beyond?” displays a curious narrator who tends to go too far in questioning and wondering more about the world, or in this case, the brick. The imagery is very well done, as well as the language that displays how the narrator feels (with words like “dying” and “yearning”). The story leads the audience down a road and it almost feels like a movie! The ending of this section shows a hopelessness, to which the narrator struggles with the possibility that what lies beyond is nothing.
→ In “A journey beyond” the story/narration picks back up in a different way. While the first stanza seems to be a flow of thoughts and feelings, which can be shown by the lack of stanzas, this one feels more organized and structured, which shows a shift in emotion of the poem and even narrator themself. This section is jam-packed with imagery as the story becomes more fleshed out! It immediately jumps into action, which strengthens the curiosity performed in the first section.
→ The second section is really well-written. With clear images, strong structure, and smart grammar use (also done in section one). The language in this section is truly captivating, with words like “malevolently” “ominous” “ethereal” and even the ending word “incandescence”. It gives a poem an almost fantastical vibe. Sometimes writers tend to stuff their words with synonyms and big words in attempts to seem very professional and intelligent, and in many of these instances, it brings the writer out of the poem because they have to look up the language used. However, in this poem you used beautiful words that fit well within the poem and did not disrupt the flow or confuse the reader.
→ Overall, I think these two poems together work really well to show feeling + story. It feels very fleshed out and well done and I honestly have no suggestions or critiques!

As always, keep writing and never give up on the things you feel passionate about.
- Lullaby *ੈ✩‧₊˚




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Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:29 pm
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Cozmo2024 wrote a review...



Hi! Cozmo here to give a short and sweet review!

To start off: I really enjoyed these poems. I think the first poem perfectly captures what I question about the afterlife. Another element that I enjoyed a lot in this poem is the imagery! I can especially see this in the lines: "I can feel the barrier,
a sturdy brick wall,
a dam, blocking the river.
I trace my finger
along the rough bricks
What lies beyond?
I'm dying to know.
I yearn for an answer,
to the greatest mystery of mankind."

These lines really stuck out to me. The speaker is desperately wanting to know what death means, and they are constantly asking that question.

Overall these two poems are very awesome and they go perfectly with each other, it's like a story of the speaker going through that exact journey that they kept questioning.

Awesome work! Keep writing!
- Cozmo :)




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Tue Feb 13, 2024 12:07 pm
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WillowBrooke wrote a review...



Oh my, what a doozy of a poem!
Your rich imagery weaves a gorgeous tapestry of rich, vivid detail and makes the poem unbelievably refined and indelible. The way you puncture each image with oozing emotion... it's like dotting a rich, colourful sky with glimmering, golden stars! I love that the imagery being tied to a core emotion doesn't disrupt the overall image or confuse readers; it adds a unique and different dimension to your words. The spirituality and passion of your words is something that resonates with readers and truly akes your poem something to remember.

I don't really have anything negative to say. One small thing I noticed is that the breaks you put in between your lines sometimes disrupt the rhythmic flow of your poetry. This does not necessarily ruin a poem-- I personally think that this poem is so beautiful that no flaw could ever truly ruin it-- bu it may be a point you'd like to keep in mind. It is only a gentle nudge, my friend, and you may choose to disregard it in its entirety.

Your poem is wonderful, rich, descriptive and emotional. If anyone were to ask me for an example of masterful execution of the art of poetry, I'd be tempted to show them your poem as an answer. Keep up the great work, my friend! Hope to see more of you around here.




JSadler says...


Thank you so much!!! <3
I'm very grateful for your feedback.
I have always struggled with line breaks though - do you have any advice?



WillowBrooke says...


np!!
I get it tbh, line breaks have always been a confusing point for me too.
One way to correct it is to read your lines out loud, pausing at each line break to see if it's natural. I've found so many mistakes in my rhythm this way. It really helps.
It also helps to have another person read it once.




We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer