I feel like a snake
getting ready
to shed an old skin
The old skin's not quite ready to crack
The new one's too thin
Restless Restless The snake feels restless
Nothing feels right Skin too tight
Restless Ready to strike
Needing to shed the old skin
I feel like a tiger
pacing
in a cage
A Siberian tiger
Prowling round a small compound
All that power just prowling around
Restless Restless The tiger feels restless
Feeling every muscle ready to pounce
But nothing to pounce on so just prowling around
Restless Needing space to more than pace
Even needing space to more than pounce
Needing to roam around
Restless
I feel like a woman
within
too small a life
She's got to make a new one
But she's holding herself tight
Restless Restless The woman feels restless
Pacing in her home Prowling alone
Restless She's got to make her break
Her life is at stake
Make no mistake
Restless
Elsa
June 20 1994
© copyright Elsa Schieder, 1994, 2024, all rights reserved
And then it was 4 months later . . .
Helpless - not just restless
The tiger prowls
helpless
to more than prowl
nose to the ground
needing more
but helpless
powerful
but helpless
to get out of
the compound
The woman isn't helpless
hapless
but not helpless
awkward
but not helpless
sometimes hopeless
often frightened
and hurt
but too restless to stay at home
and not helpless
She's a woman
not a snake
not a tiger
Maybe I can get out of my old skin
Elsa
October 15 1994
© copyright Elsa Schieder, 1994, 2024, all rights reserved
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I FEEL LIKE A SNAKE
GETTING READY
TO SHED ITS OLD SKIN.
Restless words.
Restless feeling.
Poem of restlessness
and longing.
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THAT RESTLESS FEELING
But where does one go?
What does one do
when one has tried
all the forumulas,
and more than once.
When one isn't
at a time of life,
and a place in life
meeting many possible partners,
loads of possible
fabulous projects
all around?
What to do?
Maybe the tiger
in his compound
is luckier?
So there is
that restless feeling,
coming out in this poem
of feeling so utterly restless,
in poetry
of restlessness,
in words
of restlessness,
in verses
of restlessness and longing.
A reality.
Much searching.
Massive searching.
Much doing.
And going on.
Elsa
February 26, 2024
