Sitting Amongst Strangers
by Bryan Deakin

I am sitting among strangers,
Strangers in the night,
I sit among the unknown,
The new,
Yet old strangers,

I sit among the living,
I sit among the dead,
Dead of night,
Yet I am alive,
Or am I

Is this life,
Is this hell,
The dank sour stench of failure,
Inhabits my dreams,
My visions,
My sight.

I sit among the morning dew
I sit among the evening rain,
I sit among the light of the witching hour.

I feel safe and secure,
I feel loved and unloved,

I am, but,

Alive

© 2006 -2008, Bryan Deakin

niiiice

Hi Bryan, I'm pretty new to this forum so I thought I'd check out some of the poets round here! (I clicked on you because I like the name 'Runic'.)

Anyway, just had to comment on this poem. I know this was written a few years ago, so I hope you don't mind my input as your post doesn't specify as to whether or not you welcome feedback.

I like the first two lines of the second stanza but the first two of the fourth are my favourite part of the whole poem. I really like the 'motif' you've used with 'I sit among' which you've repeated several times, and it totally works!
"I sit among the morning dew
I sit among the evening rain,"  Is a really nice pair of images that suggests an emptyness in the passing of time. Plus you've married them in a beautifully rhythmic manner which adds to their impact and makes it awesome.

The title is nicely fitting too, which is something I often have a problem with. (I've got a load of poems somewhere called 'Untitled 1, 2, etc!)

I definitely get a Gothic vibe from this poem. A dark loneliness and feeling of being lost. To me it seems to be about a situation you've found yourself in where the people you thought you knew, aren't as you thought them to be. There's something people often say about being lonely despite being in a room full of people. It must be worse if it's a room full of people you know, and they aren't sensitive to how you're feeling. Well, I don't want to feel too Gothic myself today, so I'll leave it there.

thank you mouse, I am glad you like it and please never appologise for replying to older posted poems

Cool and okey dokey, I won't ,

Agreed! Everyone loves a reply, even 10 years later!