This Poem was Submitted By: Kenneth R. Patton On Date: 2006-04-20 14:32:10 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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High Road

What do you do when the high road is just inches above the mud?   How do you gently excise a heart?   I thought it better step by step Seeing myself a surgeon   Performing a gruesome task with delicate precision Now I wonder if I should have ripped it clean and quick  In one blinding flash of pain and loathing Then praying for her recovery begging for the help of a Phoenix

Copyright © April 2006 Kenneth R. Patton

Additional Notes:
My attempts at the impossible A kind divorce.


This Poem was Critiqued By: Jordan Brendez Bandojo On Date: 2006-05-07 16:42:51
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.78378
Hi there Ken, Before the end of the voting period, I would like to say something on this although I may not understand your intent. This is actually the last poem that is left in my critiquing list for the month of April. The title "High Road" in itself suggests many intruiguing ideas. But what came up first in my mind is the idea of obstacles in life. You started the poem with a striking question. When I encounter this kind of high road I would probably...I don't know...just be with myself and call God for help. <smiling>...I like the association of the surgeon excising a heart and it is apt to connote a very hard decision making. Well, Ken in times like this I put God in the front. <smile> ...Hope you are doing fine, now! Jordan


This Poem was Critiqued By: Dellena Rovito On Date: 2006-05-06 16:24:45
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.50000
Kenneth, Divorice is such a life changing thing, it will never be easy no matter what you do. It's a loss to even for the initiator. Quickly is best/a day wasted is never regained. Hopefully its all for the best! Good job/good luck. dellena
This Poem was Critiqued By: Nancy Ann Hemsworth On Date: 2006-05-03 14:30:55
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.80769
I like the metaphore you have chosen to represent "divorce" and the journey. I have walked, tripped and stumpled on that road"just inches above the mud?" Very interesting, and gets the reader thinking, some in sadness, others in regret, but always with emotion. None of us have walked this road without taking along some baggage. I like the way you did this short and to the point. excellent write.
This Poem was Critiqued By: DeniMari Z. On Date: 2006-04-25 13:03:09
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Dear Kenneth, First, my sympathy to your plight. It's not easy going through a divorce, I have, and I really hope you keep your emotional spirits up! Your note is true: I've never heard of a good/kind divorce, but note from the words written in this piece, you had tried and failed at that. Sorry. You have conveyed your feelings of the situation well here. I know it helps, to write about things bothering us, and this was done in an easy to follow form, yet still with a lot of emotional pull to it. I particularly enjoyed your very first verse - and when I find myself, in that spot, I usually take a nap. My best to you, take care. Sincerely, Denimari
This Poem was Critiqued By: marilyn terwilleger On Date: 2006-04-21 18:19:37
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.71429
Hi Ken ...this poem is so full of emotion and passion that it is difficult to read and not have those same feelings. I never went through a divorce but when my husband passed away no one could have sliced open my heart any more painfully than that. I guess there is no way to gently excise a heart and I don't think it is something that a person can make less painful...the end result is the same...a broken exposed heart. I like the form you have used to present this piece and your word choices are perfect for such an emotional write. I don't know how anyone could read your words and not be effected by them. Well done...I hope all works out for the best. Peace...Marilyn
This Poem was Critiqued By: Lora Silvey On Date: 2006-04-21 15:53:13
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.57143
Kenneth, Your frustration is definitely born out in this poem. No there is no high road or low road only the road you feel you can comfortably live with within self. Wish this could be easier for you but I know that just isn't realistic. As soon as you think things are settled and maybe a peaceful conclusion is in sight, watch out--a well meaning friend or legal advisor may have something more to say. Keep writing, best way to deal with this. We are all here for you....besides it nice to know that others have those chaotic upside down days also. Warmest always, Lora
This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2006-04-20 19:20:46
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Ken, This is searing, because of its truthfulness. I think this one belongs with your others, in your next book of poetry. It simply says so much about how hard it is to be conscious, aware, and also step out, to go fully where your soul is calling. But with mindfulness of how one's actions will affect the other. I can't begin to offer any technical suggestions - this doesn't call for any. "How do you gently excise a heart?" It hits me hard, for many reasons. Can it even be done, this excision? Or do we always have remnants of one another, vestigal, partial organs that keep on beating, like the frog heart from biology, long after the surgery has been performed. The Phoenix legend suggests that as we die, we are born anew. Surely divorce is a kind of death. I don't know about the choice between careful surgery or ripping it (the heart) out "clean and quick." The ambivalence of the poet and the poem's honesty make this one heart-rending. It's ironic, but I think, that the best poetry comes from intense emotion. This is a humbling poem to read. Bravo! My best, Joanne
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