The Greatest Weapon
Were you fooled by the perennial smile
and bonhomie?
His living presence hiding deep despair,
silently borne and inwardly grown.
Swarmed by dark lonely thoughts
and a tornado of self doubt.
The social perfectionism now too great
for him to just shy away from.
Who’s watching over him?
Just a boy….hardly a man.
Yet the chains of life drag heavily on him.
It’s not that he wants to die,
but rather that he no longer wants to live.
Sometimes we need to see the darkness
before appreciating the light…
Turn that light on!
Don’t deny your worries and believe
it wouldn’t happen..
The Gender Parodox screams, that often
girls think about it,
but boys do it……
Speak up darling boys
You yourselves are the greatest danger you face
Before the deathly silence …speak out! Seek out!
Loving ears ready to listen.
Willing arms ready to hold,
hold until the stumble in the road is past
and the journey can continue,
and hope becomes the greatest weapon against your
dark……..
Written to highlight suicide sadly the leading cause of death in young men.
.
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Comments
A really socially aware and touching write! It is a terrible statistic that so many young men succumb to suicide..historically men have always found it more difficult to talk about their thoughts and fears..A sensitive subject highlighted with honestly, gentleness and truth- thank you for sharing this Lodi.
Thanks so much Stevie..so sad yet so true xx
This jumped right off of the page for me!!.....I had an attempt at age 24......a time in my life where, like your poems iterates, I just didn't want to live any more, felt like I had let everyone in my life down!!......the phrasing in this piece is STUNNING!! ~
~ "Swarmed by dark lonely thoughts
and a tornado of self doubt.
The social perfectionism now too great
for him to just shy away from..."
You really found the heart of your subject matter and drove it home with truly powerful words of understanding!!.......PINNED!!.......wow!!.......LOVE & ROCKETS!!.......T xo ???✴?✴✴❤
Hi Tony..so sorry to hear that you had problems as a young guy...but relieved that you clearly found a way through and are the inspiration to some many of us here now! Woman can usually verbalise their feelings but men are conditioned to be 'strong and silent' such BS though! they need to know that strength has nothing to do with feelings and thoughts but everything to do with knowing WHEN to open up and seek help...Stay strong my dear friend, life holds so many wonderful promises for you now! Hugs Lodigiana xx
Oh Lodigiana this incredible work of art just hit me quite hard. I have lost more than one male friend to suicide.
Men do need to find the courage to let their loved ones know when we feel despair. More importantly we need to learn to listen with our hearts. When you say to your mate "You OK mate" and he says "Yeah" but you know that's not true gently push the point. Show that you do not judge and that you're just a friend willing to listen.
Women do this naturally and that is why the suicide rate is so much higher in men.
SO BLOKES, ASK, LISTEN, SHOW YOU CARE.
Fantastic poem Lodigiana, and important.
Now that we can no longer share directly to facebook would you mind if I copy it (with attribution of course) as many of my friends lost the same friends. Some have lost people I never knew.
Thank you for writing this,
Nigel.
Of course you can copy this Nigel.!.I am touched that it struck a chord with you. My father in Law committed suicide many years ago but his death has always hung like a heavy curtain ..with so many 'why's' being asked and shock at the discovery that he could have been so sad and no one seemed to notice....You are so so right when you say men need to ASK, LISTEN and Trust enough to just TELL..so many loving people around who want nothing more than to help loved ones going through a tough time...Even if they can just confide and speak to the Samaritans it's a good start...Thanks for your touching words and so sorry for the losses you have had my friend xx
Thank you Lodigiagna.
It is not often that poets, artists of any kind, have a chance to make a difference with their art. If it's not impertinent might I suggest you offer this piece to the charity Mind. It fits very closely with their current campaign.
Yours cheekily,
Nigel.
Oh well I hadn't considered that but maybe I will give it a try..If it can make a difference to even one person then that would be worth doing..Thanks for the suggestion Nigel (Mr Cheeky!) xx
Amazing piece of work Lodi (hehe notice the abbreviation!)
Thanks so much Kieran ( Kie doesn't seem quite right haha!) always appreciate your comments . Lodi xxx
Very well done write! I relate
Thanks so much Greg..It is sad that so many of us perhaps have cause to relate to this but hopefully it's coming from a place of hope rather than despair.. I appreciate you words very much. xx
"It’s not that he wants to die,
but rather that he no longer wants to live.
Sometimes we need to see the darkness
before appreciating the light…"
This is so true. Insightful... the desire to STOP living. That really resonates. In my own experience, it is Life that is scary, death is the escape, the mindless sleep of no more feeling, or no more disappointing others, or hurting where no one can see. It is a terribly lonely place to be in.
Hugs and Blessings, Rebecca
Thank you so very much Rebecca! it's such a sadness that anyone should ever feel so badly about themselves that just escaping it all seems the only option..my hearts breaks for all those gone before and can only pray that we,humanity, can find a way to prevent this happening in the future- really appreciate all you say and for stopping by- thank you xxx
This piece really touched a raw nerve with me as I am in a very unhappy place and have been for some time...it's very hard to maintain the strength to carry on sometimes...writing here helps. A great piece of work, truly.
T