The Empty Man
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The Empty Man
By: Larry L. Conners...2009
Elusive passion, where art thou..? Come,...slake my thirsty heart, give warm comfort to this Empty Man....
What insidious force has torn you from my breast..?
All is kitten soft,...no sharp, unforgiving edges...no raging shore clawing at my stiffened legs,...pulling, pulling...
Have I somehow muted my inner voice..? Or was it always just a hollow echo..?
A cloying ennui descends, ...surrounds, like a thick, oily fog,... allowing neither love or hate, pain or joy, to enter unbidden...
Oh,.. Raging Sea,... pull, pull...take me with you,... scrape away the weight of years...and hoarded tears...
I wait, an Empty Man...
.
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Thank you, Shannon...You are a special friend and I really appreciate your humbling comment...
Hi Larry, really pleased you made contact. I love this one! Thank you.
Regards,
Russ
Russ: Thanks for the comment...Your profile reads like prose, very well written...I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Bob Dylan is a libertarian...nice quote.
BTW, isn't Sandhurst the West Point of Britain ?
Very nice maven101. Age catch up to you too? I am not the C C Rider that you know btw. My Wee One gave me tha moniker because she likes my poems and the first two letters fit my name. You'll figure that out as time goes by.
Looking forward to more great things now. I salute you sir for your service to me and my country as a Marine.
Thanks for the comments...Yeah, Time waits for no man....and I'm running as fast as I can, just to stay fractionally ahead....your salute to me for service is a welcome salute to all those brave and true men I had the privilege to serve with....Semper Fi, my friend...
Your poetry is thoughtful. Have you published before?
No...I write poetry for my friends and family...I take that back...I did have a poem published in college in the Golden Bear Growl...A silly little thing called " There once was a Mouse that lived on a Hill " ...that huffed and puffed like Buffalo Bill....you get the idea...I haven't thought of that in years...Thanks for the comment...Larry
Maven,
Poem, are way out of my element, although if I didn't explore these alien elements I would be confined to small mental quarters.
I am interested in music as a mechanism of sound and math, but I cannot play any instrument. This is true even though I have an understanding of music and I have excellent hearing.
I am interested in art as a mechanism of vision and representation of what the mind can create but I cannot draw. I have creativity but cannot draw to transport that creativity to paper or screen.
The world of poems is not one that I have developed an appreciation or understanding of it to sustain much effort on my part.
For example, my interpretation of your empty man is more about the sea. Perhaps, that is because of being analytical as opposed to shear entertainment being the focus of my thoughts.
It always struck me funny in Literature Class, when the instructor would have you tell what the author really meant by his story. To understand the underlying story below the story you had to have knowldege about the world that was the object of his writing. Usually, I didn't have any knowledge about the underlying subject so only the literal was absorbed in my reading of the story. For example, I had no idea about actual living conditions in the South, so how could I interpret an author's symbolism of it.
While I believe that you don't have to be a chicken to jdge an egg, you have to understand and appreciate poetry to enjoy it.
I am impressed by musicians, artists and even poets because they can do something that I cannot do.
just sharing.
Issues:
We each have to live our lives with the tools given us through heredity, environment, and disposition..and probably a few more influencers...
The point is, you being the analytical person you are, provides many talents and avenues for expression simply because of your innate curiosity and persistence. Your consistent honesty always impresses me... you certainly express the Gandhi quote I have in my profile page...
Seek and you will find, my friend...Larry
Maven,
Once again thanks for kind words and understanding.
maven.Very nice, I love your hubs nice poem reduce the size of picture this will look good
Thank you Lgali....not sure how to reduce the pic...
I know this feeling....thank you...very well written!
maven01 -sorry for not replying you message.
When you go to edit your photo you can chose on the right side half size or full size. I hope this helps you
Lgali...When I try downsize to half width the photo disappears...tried quarter size also with same result....
Such beautiful imagery. Thank you for sharing your poems with us, Maven.
You have captured the feeling well with few words. Very nice.
futon..I'm honored by your comment...thank you .
paper moon... Thanks for the comment...yes, brevity is the soul, I'll skip the wit...
fantastic! it brings emotion of lost years and dreams to my mind. And a desire to live true to who I am as opposed to who others think. Thanks
tdarby...Thank you for the kind comment...yes, one must always strive to be true to ones self...by so doing you will be true to all others in your life...
Nothing is more important to me than my personal integrity, which I will never compromise...It defines who we are and squares our impression to others, on our terms.
Thank you for dropping by. I think you will enjoy Walter Benton as well. His tragic love remained with him until he died.
Your exquisite images are seasoned and touch mind and heart alike. I respect the way you picked up words,
For instance "slake my thirsty heart,"... one would have expected quench or quaff in the place of slake. But you choose it brilliantly.
Kushal...Thank you for the kind comments...
I write very quickly when the passion is with me....the words seem to be born of themselves; I just allow them to breath...
I am back again, reading your hubs for the second, and third time, maven! When will you write another? :)
exquisite...
Thank you Shannon...I am truly honored by your respected opinion of my Hubs...I'm even more pleased to see you back within the HubPages community..I have missed you..
Thank you for the encouragement to write more Hubs...I'm in a dark period right now and participating in the Hubtivity is slowly thawing my neglected soul...
FOL: Thank you for the kind comment..
Maven, very nice. The search for a passion to keep a drowning man going. great stuff
THL :..Sometimes that passion is right in your own backyard....Thanks for the insightful comment...
though it's a sad poem, it is still intense. intense with emotion and with that yearning..
For writers........writer's block
For artists........a blank canvas
Your empty man waiting for passion could mean a number of things...
Thumbs up!
bingskee...Thank you for the insightful comment...yes, it is sad, but a sadness full of anticipation...a sure knowledge that a deep passion is just under the surface, struggling for breath, weighted down with transitory diversions...The Sea always calms before and after the storm..
Peggy...Thank you for the comment ... Yes, the Empty Man would imply one thing to one person, and yet quite another to another person... See bingskee's comment above...she sees a sadness, whereas I see anticipation, a slow awakening of spiritual and physical senses...
I realize I have been spiritually asleep for many years, and this realization of an untapped source of inspiration is both exciting and challenging...
full of emotion and passion. i can see sadness and anticipation and other emotions as well. great poetry.
LMY: Thank you so much for the kind and thoughtful comments....
We still haven't solved who killed Paper Moon...Care to start a new Hub..? Larry
A touching piece of poetry Maven. I will come back to read more of your Hubs. :)
Thank you Lady_E for the kind comment...you are welcome back anytime...
Me thinks between the two of us we could come up with a hub of such mighty magnitude and hubnubness none could compare. Game if you are.
Wendy
Anytime you are ready Wendy..! Sounds like a great idea for a Hub...sort of a conversation between two seekers of truth, justice, and the best pizza in town...Larry
Strong, emotional and writ with elegance. This is a piece of art! My mind is thoroughly aroused with your imagery. Thanks Larry!
Beth... Thank you so much for your forthright observations...
An aroused mind can be a dangerous thing... As someone has said: Intelligence without discipline is a waste of potential...Stay disciplined..! Hold your heart close and your soul will emerge....Larry
thanks for great poem. I like it
Larry, very moving poem, you should consider publishing yours, so touching and I feel them. Thank you so much, Teri
Prasetio..Thanks for stopping by and I appreciate the comment..
Ladybird...Thank you so much for the kind comments...As poets, our first objective is to make the reader feel something...without this connection it would just be chewing gum for the mind...
Passion can be fleeting...my friend. Yet...once we find a way to warm the cool ambers...It fires up even greater than before! Don't let the cool ambers rue your thoughts...the emptiness is also fleeting...and we need to see more of your work! Looking forward to more of your writings...when able...Like how you bring it with the Manly Poetry! Humbly, MPM. That looks like a picture of Camus ???
MPM...Thanks for the comments and sage advise...Life can come at you from unexpected angles and give you pause for thought...Priorities change, people come and go, some remain within, others disappear like tule fog in the morning...Commitments become a tyranny of the weak, shutting out the light of expression....Larry
Great poem, Larry. It certainly makes me ponder - "I wait, an Empty Man." Great stuff that.
Love and peace
Tony
Hi Tony...Thanks for the comments...I don't think there is very much empty about you my friend...Larry
Hi Larry,
This poem reminded me of Richard Nixon in the last day of his admistration. Despite his many accomplishments by the end he seemed like an empty vessel waundering aimlessly.
Tom...Very intriguing take...I see where the similarity may lie...he was indeed a broken and angry man those last few weeks of his administration...He certainly did accomplish much, a very learned man, but also a very flawed man ...
I can never forgive him for removing the gold standard which ultimately resulted in the instability worldwide...
Thanks for the interesting comment..Larry
Thank You=)
Lisa...You are welcome..Larry
So you do have a sense of depth; and you are poetic... I guess its just your marine mentality that keeps you from conceding to an easier way to chop wood and carry water ...lol...
Have a great day man...
Ioua...Not sure what you are implying by a " Marine mentality "...I'm getting a whiff of condensation and more than a little sarcasm...I took sarcasm from my teen-aged son because he didn't know better...amazing how fast they grow up after 16...but I didn't expect such from you, Ioua...and actually, I would rather you chopped the wood and carried the water while I supervised...We Marines have been carrying your water for a long time now...time for you to start carrying your own...Semper Fi, Mac....Larry
Larry, I do not slight, it referenced, the yours is to do or die not to reason why aspect of military service... I was a soldier also, a combat medic... I regard your service as I do mine... Your reaction was typical though...lol
"Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment,chop wood and carry water." Ancient Chinese Proverb
Empowering Caregivers -"Chop Wood And Carry Water"
Each and everyone of us will always be chopping wood and carrying water while we are on this physical dimension. Do whatever you do with passion and love. ...
Ioua... We call medics corpsmen in the Marine Corps...Some of the bravest and most sensitive men I knew were corpsmen....I salute you, my friend, for your service, especially as a combat medic, for whom I have the deepest respect...re " carrying water ", I am using the expression in the pejorative sense. To "carry the water" for someone means do something (usually hard and unpleasant, yet necessary) for someone else's benefit, because they are too lazy or incompetent to do it themselves...Larry
Beautifully written, thanks so much for commenting on my poem, I have another one which I have written yesterday actually they are two of them, you already read the other one, Please comment on the other one too, Tnanks so much Maven, Maita (the title is You are forever mine!)
Maita...Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments...your remarks are always appreciated...I did check out your poem and left comments...Larry
What an interesting poem A marine that wries poetry about ennui and emptiness. I shall read more!
Donna...Thanks for dropping by and commenting...There are old Marines, and there are bold Marines...but there are no old, bold Marines...Larry
This is powerful, Larry. Awesome!!
habee...Thanks for stopping by and leaving those complimentary comments...High praise from a former English Lit teacher...Larry
The triumph of insidious Comfort over Joy, caught very effectively in this poem. A deadening of the spirit is the greatest of losses. Thanks Larry.
Paraglider...Thank you for the insightful comments...I still wait for that " Raging Sea " to sweep me away with renewed passion seemingly lost...Insidious comfort indeed...retirement can be pure hell...too much comfort, not enough emotional and physical motivation... I would give it all away to once again feel the tension of challenged survival and responding successfully...of finding love, in all its inspirational glory...to wake one morning to a new epiphany of self-discovery...Raging Sea, where art thou..?
My best wishes to you, my learned friend, for a happy and rewarding holiday season...Larry
When so much emotion is shared with such passion and tenderness, there is no Empty Man that I can see. Thank you for a great poem.
Mmmm the blue funk when the engine won't start. We are the Hollow Men when this happens. Like 'cloying' and 'oily' mixed with the 'ennui'...at least the speaker of the voice in the poem recognises his or her emptiness, there's a starting point there, it's when you don't realise there's no spark inside when the trouble starts. Enjoyed this - thank-you.
Petra...Thanks so much for the kind comments..as a poet, you are familiar with the feeling, and yes, just the expressing of ones frustration rekindles renewed passions...Larry
hotspur...The spark burns brightly, my friend...I just have to find the fodder to feed the fire...( don't you just love alliteration )...BTW, your last " poem " was a blast...
Thanks for stopping by, and blow the head off a Guinness for me..Larry
Very compelling poem.
I see the first part of it in people who've been hurt and have put up a "brick wall"; the last part, a cry to be open to feeling again, at last...
Brenda...That is a very astute observation, with which I am in agreement...life is a process, a transmogrification... for some a spiritual epiphany, for others a desperate search for meaning that siphons away one's passion...Larry
YYes Larry I totally agree with you. This emptiness is a natural inherent of human life. The intellectuals are bound to be exaggerated by this. Thank you for sharing this great hub. I will soon read your other poems.
another good one thanks
Cupid...Sorry for my unforgivable lapse in responding to your cogent comments...been a little busy working on a yard project...Yes, the loss of passion is a natural occurring phenomenon that can either lead to apathy, or worse, deep depression...Filling my life with challenges has always kept me on an even keel, with rare steep change curves encountered...when it does occur ( writers block, lethargy, or distracted thinking ) I remember Sister Kazamara's admonition " Stay on point "...in this case, meaning staying on point with life...Thanks for stopping by...Larry
This is excellent. Glad I noted you in the forums and stopped in to read this.
iounn...Thank you for the nice comment...I rarely foray into the forums...Poetry is my passion...Look forward to reading your Hubs..Larry
Its nice to meet another poetry guy. I liked this one a lot.
you write it ill read it. your newest fan ray
this is good stuff maven keep writing mate is your gift to share to the world . check out my stuff and let me know what you think http://hubpages.com/hub/Nothing-but-a-melody
Aware...Thank you for the comment...I'm looking forward to reading your poetry also...Larry
Eman...I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on this poem...I have read your prose and find it very well composed and beautifully expressed...I love London and all it has to offer...I usually wind up spending all my time in the museums or an Irish pub...Cheers, Mate...Larry
Good poems, for me, require a few slower, re-reads. This is one of them. There's a poignancy to it. Excellent work.
Philip...Thank you for your wonderful critique...Yes, I too read poetry slowly, and, in the case of Haiku, I read out loud...Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comments...Larry
Hi Larry, I popped over to see how you are doing? Good? Just wanted to make sure you were still here :)
Hi Ladybird...Thanks for the visit...Yes, I'm still active on HubPages, more as a commenter than contributing Hubs ...Other priorities right now are taking away my motivation and inspiration...
God didn't promise we would always have days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or the sun without rain... But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. I'm finding my way to the light now...Thank you for caring...Larry
Awesome poem Larry. I also have several poems that you may enjoy. I hope you will be able to check them out sometime. Great work.
zzron...Thanks for the nice comment...I'm glad you enjoyed the Empty Man...He is a man of my past...a necessary Man that has allowed me to fully appreciate what I have, right here in front of me, everyday...
I have read your poetry and have left thumbs up for all of them...You have a natural, free-flowing style of writing that I enjoy, especially with my morning coffee ...Larry
How deeply touching! And look at all of your fans! It took me hours to scroll down the page to get to the area I could comment!
You are one popular poet/writer!
I pray that this was merely an expression of your creativity, and not a reflection of the reality of your life. It is a pleasure to read your artistic renderings!
cjv123...Thank you for the expressive comments...I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my Hubs...
For me, inspiration for poetry or prose does not just appear out of whole clothe...I must experience the emotion, myself, first-hand...and write about it immediately while the passion is still with me...This particular poem was an effort to kick-start myself and let the creative juices flow...I was actually staring at a charcoal sketch I had half finished of my daughter and wanted to bring her eyes to life when the inspiration for this poem came to me...
Now that your husband is home for keeps it must be fun catching up on lost time together...I pray your son is safe and well in his selfless service to our nation...Larry
Larry - I have commented before on this poem and would like just to affirm that it has a lot of meaning in it, a lot that I can continue to think about. There are times when I feel empty, and directionless, but usually the writing gets me back again. That "cloying ennui" is really deadening and I need to make myself feel again to get past it.
Thanks again for this poem.
Love and peace
Tony
Tony...My big-hearted friend...Your insight is exquisite...You are most fortunate to have a passion...a passion for mankind and a resolve to place value on all life...My skepticism began post Viet Nam...man's inhumanity to man continues, from wars across the planet to the bedrooms of average folks...I find very little to admire with humans, least of all myself, finding I'm moving from skeptic to cynic...
I seek passion, but she is an elusive creature with the duality of Janus, both which elude my grasp...You suffer no such challenge of significance...Your recent Hub on Liberalism is a stalwart affirmation of your passion for justice and equality...I am reduced to simply commenting on another's passions, without having any of my own...
Always great to hear from you Tony, and know I understand and respect your opinions...Larry
Very clever. I like this very much. I've lost the 'edge' also. I have succumbed to "cloying ennui" ... Perhaps its our age?? Oh to be reawakened; thanks for this lovely piece of work.
Hi Brightforyou...Thank you for the kind comments and your questioning thoughts...
I have found the best solution to defeating " cloying ennui " is to seek inspiration through observation...I look at things much more intently now, focusing on their nature and relationship to my life...Be it positive or negative, the inner dimensions of things inspire my thinking and actions...Stay intellectually engaged with life and its continual opportunities to appreciate the wonder of beauty, and the challenge of the dark side...Larry
Hi Larry- This is an outstanding piece of literature of, by or for some empty man. Again, my late review allowed me the benefit of the commentary incorporated into the body and blood of this Hub. To be weary and bored by overindulgence in any richness life offers seems to be an instictive response of the mind. Self-preservation compels this response, I think.
What wonderful imagery with the "muted inner voice" questioning its own validityas "always a hollow echo".
As writers, we all "echo" the sentiments and thoughts of others. We derive our own inspiration from the inspiration of others in our "community of thought" here at Hubpages. Thank you for your contribution to that. Cheers.
Gerry...As always, I am thankful to be a recipient of your eloquent praise...You are such a talented man, with heart and a joie de vivre that rings through your thoughtful prose...
Your expressive commentary captures in toto my thoughts when composing this poem...
I am honored to be your friend, and I share your statement that this indeed is a " community of thought " here in HubPages, where inspiration reigns and friends gather to share that inspiration...Larry
Maven: I liked this very much, as I can relate to that ever-elusive muse (if I am reading you right) I've always believed that the best way to get around writer's block is to go through it, pen in hand. It seems that the writing process itself somehow cures us of the inspirational emptiness we are lamenting. Here's to our muses.
Steele...Again, I see that I have the pleasure of your company...Thank you for the cogent comments, and yes, we all have our muses,...mine seems to be muted at present...I'm not a " Poem a day " kind of writer...I do write a private haiku every morning watching the sun rise over this beautiful northern Arizona landscape...I look down on Tuzigoot and reflect on that fascinating history of a people long gone...I find artifacts like petroglyphs and pottery sherds when I'm working around my yard...and always, the company of so many wonderful creatures, most especially, my ravens, whom I can now hand feed...
So, I have plenty of inspiration, but lack the ego or need to publish...My rare submissions are simply experiments in technique and style...Thank you again for stopping by and commenting...Larry
I like the format. I might try something like that at your continuation dots tie parts of thought together better then other punctuation I have tried. I liked it.
Jaggedfrost...Thanks again for stopping by and leaving your considerate comments...
Punctuation is everything in prose...the deliberate and considered linkage within thoughts and actions carry through to the reader as a continuum of expression, giving cohesion to the poetic images evoked...Larry
I will have to remember that.
It's a long way down here Larry. Great write. God bless, stay safe, and Semper Fi!
Hi Mickey...Glad to see you made the trip...Thanks for the comments...I'm wishing you and yours a happy and joyous holiday season...Semper Fi to you also, my brother...Larry
As a fellow writer, I can't tell you how many times I wondered if I had "muted my inner voice." Some days the voice goes away and the man is empty, as you elegantly put. Well done, sir Larry.
Doug...Thank you for the well-received comments...Judging by your recent poetic output I must say there is no muted voice in you , my friend...I really enjoy your taking on new literary forms through poetry and prose...your inner voice speaks with honest words and a confidence that is invincible...
My best wishes to you and yours for a happy and joyous holiday season...Larry
WOW! Your words have "texture" and a sense of "feel" I'ts always a pleasure to read your writings.
C.J...Thank you for stopping by and leaving your welcome comments...your grasp of poetic expression is perfect...Texture and feel are the very blood of poetry...without it there is only a winsome tone and a whining in the wind that inspires no one...Thank you for this insightful comment...
I'm hoping you and yours have a happy and safe holiday season...Larry
I really like this poem...my favorite line:
"Have I muted my inner voice...? Or was it always just a hollow echo...?"
Very vivid imagery. great emotion. love it.
CJ...Thank you for the appreciated comments...I wonder, do we sometimes " mute " our inner voices because we feel they lack any real relevance..? And are they just a " hollow echo " of words without meaning..? Asking these questions gives me the discipline, honesty, and passion I try to put into my poetry...Thanks for stopping by, and may you and yours have a most enjoyable and safe holiday season...Larry
Amazing, Larry. I could feel that heavy thick oily fog. Such vivid expression of the feelings! I'm glad you mentioned it I missed it when you first published it.
Nellieanna...Thanks for stopping by and leaving your respected and appreciated comments...Its always a pleasure to hear from you, my friend...
Love and peace as always...Larry
MamaDragonfly2677 3 years ago
Very nice, maven. I love your hubs. You are so imaginitive, and full of emotion.
I could feel your heart in this one.
Great writing. I so envy you.