Cold, uncaring
I’ve become
I used to once
But now I’m numb
My heart is blacker
Than the night
I used to think
I’d found the light
Now I see
That’s not the case
I don’t belong
I’m out of place
A stranger here
Without a friend
The time it ticks
To toll the end
No long goodbyes
No fond farewell
Retreating to
My private Hell
©2025, The Beginning At Last
Well done 👏 👏 this is excellent, Kevin ❤️ I’m sure so many people can relate to these feelings at one time or another. As I’ve always told you, you write dark very well ✍️ 😍
Thank you, m’lady. This one was sitting in mothballs since the summer. I tweaked a few words but otherwise it remains unchanged from back then.
I find writing from the negative much easier. I don’t do uplifting or positive very well at all lol
💗💗
Thank you, m’lady. 💗
I may have had a few here and there, but I think the darker side is where I find the words flow easiest. Not sure if that’s good, bad or indifferent, but, well, here we are 😄
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Ah yes, the poetic equivalent of a goth mixtape. 🖤🕶️ If brooding was an Olympic sport, you’d have the gold. 🏅🔥 But at least your “private Hell” has good acoustics for all this melancholic monologuing! 🎶😏
Jokes apart, beautifully expressed, my friend.
👍👍👍
Thank you, Sarah. I don’t recall what inspired it, it’s quite an old piece. Been sitting around for a spell. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙏
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That’s a deep poem. I saw that Mel Robbins posted about not having any friends, and how hard it is to make friends. Many of us feel out of sorts. I think COVID started these sad feelings and then the world is in a mess. There doesn’t seem to be happiness anywhere. Well, little glimpses of it here and there.
Hey! Wanna be friends? I too am in hell! I have loads of stories to tell. Need a partner in crime in this fiery well.
Thank you, my friend. Very glad you enjoyed it. I think most know this feeling, at the very least, in passing. 🙏
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Black ink at it’s finest, my man! Excellent write. 🖤✍🏼 PS – I hope you are getting this comment. I can only comment here on Reader for some bloggers…..and you’re one of them. WordPress messing with us again!
I liked this, sadly many people find themselves in their own private hell, but not me I am generally in my happy place
Thank you very much, Joanne. And it’s great to hear that you are generally happy. Not a lot of people are, so it’s a huge gift.
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You got me! Except can we discuss locations? Hell is too hot for me! Poetry = Fire, Kevin! 😀 and that pic is menacing incarnate!
I often think your poems could be turned into songs quite easily and this is another one. You play guitar, have you ever tried to write your own music?
Kevin, your poem really stood out to me. The way you portray isolation and detachment is sharp and direct, letting the weight of each word do the work.
I regularly review poetry, both past and present, and I shared your piece in my latest review, which you can check out here.
I respect the controlled, no-frills style—it makes the emotions hit even harder. Looking forward to reading more of your work. Keep at it. Best, Adam
Adam, I just read the review, and I cannot thank you enough for such a fine analysis. I am extremely grateful for the time you took to dissect it. It even made me look at it from a vantage point which was different the the one I wrote it from.
Thank you for the though-provoking words. I am truly appreciative. 🙏🙏
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[…] day, all. I am very honored to share that Adam Fenner has posted a review of my poem Retreating To on his […]
Great poem brother and an excellent first review!!! Be filled with joy on this day!!!
The Beginning At Last 
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