THE NIGHT LIFE OF BRIAN

[Monkey D. Luffy]

Pitch-black witch-black midnight door in Brian’s head,
Creaking, squeaking
barrier to life now dead yet being,
Haunts him, taunts him;
Upswing downswing pantomimic syllables

Look behind me
See what it’s like
In the dark rooms
Of the next life

Strapped-in wrapped-in feeling of his troubled night,
Fretting, sweating,
Coffins him, his eyes shut tight still seeing
bled men, dead men;
Choral chain-gangs chanting things incredible

Blue-eyed monsters
Dark-eyed devils
Every nation
Every colour
Slaughtered fathers
Gas-drenched mothers
Death-starved sisters
Bombed out brothers
Headless corpses
Gang-raped women
Butchered babies
Once of your life

Silent violent screams provide the catalyst;
Rocking, shocking
'til from dread paralysis he’s freeing.
Door slammed.
Still damned.
Words upon his soul in ink indelible


Here’s the past and
Here’s the future
And the present
This is your life
This is your life
No escaping
This is your life
This is your life.

 

[Panda]

The title is so misleading. :DD

For the poem itself--- I thought it was very descriptive. I'm wondering if you made the poem open to interpretation, or if the character is experiencing schizophrenia, nightmares, or anything specific?

Also, for the first stanza, 5th line:
"Upswing downswing pantomimic syllables", I'm unsure as to what "syllable" means in this context. It's to my understanding that pantomimes are a way of communication through gesture/facial expressions or historically speaking, a form of comedic or tragic entertainment with the accompaniment of an instrument/singing? Since pantomimes are more gestured in their nature, and syllables are generally vocal, what's the relation between the two?

I don't think it was intentionally made to be contradictory; I think I know what you were trying to describe, but I'm a little confused.