“I closed the box and put it in a closet.
There is no real way to deal with everything we lose.”
― Joan Didion, Where I Was From
Can you hear its claws in closets?
My secrets hid as bleakness of
a crime, this ignorance,
petty in pretence: my sordid tardiness.
Can you feel the doldrums of its waiting?
Can you hear my losses rumbling?
Boxed, but not forgotten: calamities
both from things I said
and deceits untold.
Hid in tenderness of evasive lies,
or in painful truths.
It’s both my past and future.
Can you sense its sweetness rotting?
Can you hear its claws in closets?
Dark Forest by Ivan Shishkin
Today we revisit prompts at toads, and my choice was to write on quotes from Joan Didion. One of her books was recently translated to Swedish, and therefore there has been some great articles about her in our newspapers. I will also link up to Poetry Pantry tomorrow morning.
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Novmeber 5, 2016
Björn Rudbergs writings 
In the dark and drear, it feeds on my fear…
You captured my heart with this piece, Björn. Beautifully done.
Hmmm, we seem to be walking in the same forest today–soldiering and mouldering, as it were. Love the Didion quote and where you took it.
My goodness, this is beautifully evocative Bjorn 🙂 especially “Boxed, but not forgotten: calamities both from things I said and deceits untold” took my breath away! Kudos ❤️
claws in closets – what a powerful and emotionally raw analogy for secrets … “Hid in tenderness of evasive lies, or in painful truths.” An incredible piece of writing – so germane to so many secrets.
I definitely DO hear those claws in closets….they seem very prevalent these days.
dark secrets do have claws and reside in closets…wow…great lines Bjorn…the poem evokes a kind of eerie feeling…
Can you hear its claws in closets?… love the opening line and the poem takes off from there!
Some great lines Björn – claws in closets is brilliant, and as for the closing “can you sense it’s sweetness rotting”…….
The notion of troublesome thoughts or memories having claws and scrabbling to get out the closet is unnerving.. an excellent comparison.
Our existence always something to pack, reminisce and look forward to. We’Lloyd either smile, laugh or cry.
I suppose we all have our own clawing deceits in closets. It is a measure of our worth to face up to them and hopefully they will shrink away.
The opening quote really expands your poem – i can feel those claws – and the sweetness rotting
I can hear muffled scratching and smell something rotten here…
great imagery – it hits you right from the first line!
Clawed in the closets, I wonder are the secrets trying to speak to be set free? I picture a bear in the woods…hmm pondering your words in the forest. You like to take the reader into dark spaces.
Wow. This is really good. I especially like the second stanza.
Loved the metaphor!
a sense of dread in the poem. they certainly are trying very hard to get out. 🙂
The claws nearly reach out of the screen. I can hear them, scrabbling in the closets of the world.
Ah, that claws. We all have some. Very nice Bjorn
So many stark and wonderful images in this one, Bjorn. But I like the recurring questions the most. They are off-putting somehow, and draw the reader in.
Suppose we all have our clawed monsters ready to rip and tear to pieces the appropriate antagonist
Sunday Blessings
much love…
Ah, a Pandora’s box of feelings. I’m limping with the thought of them.
Another fine piece of poetry, Bjorn. I can not pull out a particular line as I enjoyed the whole piece.
I felt scared as I read this poem. The idea of claws clawing at the closet is scary and full of fear. I love how you captured this feeling and the picture itself. Beautiful. 🙂
Well done and said. “It’s sweetness rotting”. The closets of our mind never free us from what can not be undone…bkm
I wish I knew the quote–but even without that, this piece is haunting and so well crafted.
Can you sense its sweetness rotting?
Can you hear its claws in closets?
Good questions and a good closing. One just has to put up with a lot of conscience-pricking in the mind!
Hank
What a coincidence – I chose the Joan Didion prompt too! I love what you’ve done with the quote – those creepy claws in the closet – and those rhetorical question: ‘Can you feel the doldrums of its waiting?’ and ‘Can you sense its sweetness rotting?’ are so dark and foreboding.
This is a somber portrait of the things that lie hidden in all of us.
I love ‘claws in closets’ and everything else you say, and the way you say it. A brilliant piece.
Wonderfully forbodeing … “Hid in tenderness of evasive lies,
or in painful truths.” really clever lines throughout.
Incredible, Bjorn! I can hear those click, click, clicks.