Hell, “A Different Level” – Thinking of Aurora
A different level
I.
Hell is a clock
that cannot be
turned back.
II.
Hell is discovering
that your most special,
coveted,
dear, one
and only,
purpose,
culmination,
all,
can be culled
randomly,
gone
in an instant,
wrong
seat/street/virus
crazed/gun
forever.
III.
Hell is not
being able to take
the bullet for them;
hell is having to
swallow the bullet for
yourself
after it’s hit.
IV.
Hell is knowing
too late
how fast
it all was.
V.
Hell is
firsthand.
************************************************
Mourning the terrible event in Aurora, Colorado. This led me to the above draft poem, linked to the wonderful poets at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads, a discussion of hell. Ridiculous to think of prompts with events like these, but it was somehow a way to write about these awful things. One worries that these things come across as pretentious; I mean to write only with sympathy and sorrow.
I am also linking this to Tess Kincaid’s wonderful Magpie Tales, where she happened to put up a picture prompt of Franz Kline’s Figure 8, which seemed also to fit with this poem.
Tags: "A Different Level" of understanding, Aurora Colorado, Mag 127, manicddaily, poem about hell, poem about loss, random violence, with real toads blogspot
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ManicDDaily 
July 21, 2012 at 9:38 am
I just love the first line! Hell is a clock that can’t be turned back… just, wow.
July 21, 2012 at 9:46 am
Thanks. k.
July 21, 2012 at 9:48 am
Hi, I went to your poem which has such wonderful rhymes and cadence but could not leave a comment. I couldn’t find the place somehow. That may be just me, but you may want to check. K>
July 21, 2012 at 10:29 am
mutual seduction? I’ll check… funny I know what you mean seeing as many of the poems I uploaded don’t rhyme.
July 21, 2012 at 10:31 am
I don’t know how to check cuz logged on I can’t see the comment box to any of my posts. And I have gotten comments so I assume is therE?
July 21, 2012 at 9:47 am
Pow. I feel my tears now as I recognize that I am in that Hell in four parts. You have pinned it to our place, and it is still alive and struggling. I will share on my facebook site, where half my ex-student-poets are raving about the movie, and half are in shocked silence. Thank you.
July 21, 2012 at 9:49 am
PS: Your Drawing! Flames in heart! No elephants! Gosh.
July 21, 2012 at 10:14 am
Wow! Heavy.. we’e all facing some portion of this Hell for sure in some way.. Good one! Keep em coming.. : )
July 21, 2012 at 10:20 am
Not at all coming across as pretentious. There’s anguish in your words.
What an awful thing to have happened.
July 21, 2012 at 10:26 am
The first section hits you like a punch in the gut. Brilliant.
July 21, 2012 at 10:33 am
dang…this is powerful stuff k…each one just builds…each one felt….tight piece…any moment could be ours…and we can not take the bullet for them…
July 21, 2012 at 10:35 am
You have totally nailed it with this poem. Brilliant writing packed with truth. It just could not be said any better. WONDERFUL writing! Thank you for finding just the right words. Reading it, I was saying: “that’s it! that’s exactly it!”
July 21, 2012 at 10:37 am
Hell is first-hand! Wow! This poem nailed it for me. The third part was a particularly powerful punch to the gut.
July 21, 2012 at 10:45 am
The poem’s simplicity stands in stark contrast to the complex horror in Aurora. Beautifully expressed.
July 21, 2012 at 10:55 am
Thanks so much, Lynn. Hope all is well. k.
July 21, 2012 at 11:47 am
“Hell is a clock
that cannot be
turned back.”
Boy is that the truth, on so many levels.
July 21, 2012 at 3:41 pm
we heard about it on tv over here as well…and i was shocked..you capture that feeling so well.. the feeling of being powerless to change what happened or protect ourselves or our loved ones from something terrible like this
July 21, 2012 at 6:41 pm
You certainly have boiled it down to its several essences, one more devastating than the last. It’s almost too hard to read, in light of the events it refers to. Thanks so much for being a part of FBF with this searing piece.
July 21, 2012 at 6:41 pm
ps–in case you don’t know, this is me, Fireblossom, wearing my WordPress dress.
July 21, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Thanks so much, and thanks for the ID. I’d seen Coalblack’s work, and Fireblossom’s and admired them both! Thanks much. k.
July 22, 2012 at 5:37 am
gone
in an instant,
wrong
seat/street/virus
crazed/gun
forever.
Rightly said, K! Hell is all that has to do with ill-luck. There’s not much we can do to avoid it!
Hank
July 23, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Black to me is a hellish shade, I must say….
July 23, 2012 at 4:56 pm
Hell indeed, you captured it well. Inspiration surely comes through unlikely places. I wrote something quite “zen” for The Mag, but I too felt compelled to write after the tragedy this past weekend. All that kept going through my head were images of “broken shards.” This was my take: http://insideoutpoetry.blogspot.com/2012/07/shattered-glass.html
July 23, 2012 at 5:01 pm
And that bullet goes down so hard…
July 23, 2012 at 10:21 pm
that has a punch…well written and straight to the heart.
July 24, 2012 at 5:19 am
All too true. For me at the moment it’s No 4 that sinking in. Thought-provoking. Thanks.
July 24, 2012 at 7:06 am
Yes, me too. k.
July 24, 2012 at 8:38 am
Powerful tribute.
July 24, 2012 at 8:58 am
Thanks so much- If you send me your url, I’m happy to check out your work too. k.
July 24, 2012 at 4:35 pm
There is no way we could be immune to that kind of violence … your poem is powerful, thought provoking.
July 24, 2012 at 10:19 pm
hell is a state of mind
dark feathers dead crows
July 25, 2012 at 12:30 am
Lovely read….and that is an awesome effect to the heart!
July 26, 2012 at 4:40 pm
A vivid impression of hell on hearth.
Anna :o]