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Ennui

April 29, 2013
By Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
More by this author
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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your thoughts push me past
—the breaking point—
—the point of no return
to the start of the labyrinth
with no exit—
no man’s land—
I try to return in reverse
but I cannot:
I am chained to the arid ground,
fruitless and unfertile
of what I tried to escape
all these years
yet seek hopelessly now—
the old Babylonian Harlot’s
chains chain me:
I am your prisoner

© Xiao H., Naperville, IL

The author's comments:
This is one I don't really know the meaning to myself. Tell me what you think it means. Think of it as a puzzle.
Post a comment
Submit your own

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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 16 comments.

Mckay ELITE said...
on Sep. 10 2013 at 1:08 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Same here. 
Mckay ELITE said...
on Jul. 19 2013 at 2:13 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Great analogy. And thanks for accepting the challenge of deciphering this poem. (By the way, reading every poem I write is a challenge; I have more on the way. Additionally, I plan to read all of yours.) By the way, this poem was also inspired by someone else on this site that wrote a poem with the word ennui in it. Like you, I went to the dictionary to understand this word. And this is what I came up with; we're very similay in a way. And I'm so happy to inspire my best brah to write a poem. Can't wait for it. Thanks so much, brah. 
LexusMarie PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 16 2013 at 6:59 pm
LexusMarie PLATINUM, Las Cruces, New Mexico
27 articles 0 photos 423 comments

Favorite Quote:
The more control you have over yourself, the less control others have over you.

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Whaddup ma brah? Just chillen', eh? Yes, so since I am going to read every single poem of yours, I decided it best to start here as you said.. and yet again, Mckay inspired me. So, what happened was I was looking up synonyms for ennui because I like to do that with really interesting words and tedium came up and I like completely forgot about that word.. so, I am going to write a poem titled 'Tedium'. So, in a way, you led me to find the long lost word! Anyways, this totally (Ew, who uses the word totally? Haha.) reminded me of my new poem 'Avalanche' which I just posted. They are fairly similar with the whole pushing someone past their breaking point and feeling like your attached to them! We've got a connection;) This poem is very persistent with helplessness. It's really interesting! Congrats on the check!
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND said...
on Jun. 13 2013 at 2:40 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. <br /> - Maya Angelou <br /> When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn&rsquo;t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out<br /> The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay<br /> If love produced a blossom/I&rsquo;d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I&rsquo;d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven<br /> And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

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Well,,, I sure am glad to hear that. I'm glad :D Love always.
lackadaisicalwolf said...
on Jun. 4 2013 at 6:25 pm
lackadaisicalwolf, Asdf, Other
0 articles 0 photos 28 comments
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You're welcome
Mckay ELITE said...
on Jun. 4 2013 at 1:19 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Thank you. I love your interpretation as well. It makes me think about this poem every time someone deciphers it in their own way. Thank for the feedback. 
Mckay ELITE said...
on Jun. 4 2013 at 1:18 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Thank you, Saphira, for the feedback. It isn't meagre. Never. And I love your interpretation of this piece. It's a puzzling one. But I'm happy to see people trying to decipher it. 
lackadaisicalwolf said...
on Jun. 3 2013 at 9:29 pm
lackadaisicalwolf, Asdf, Other
0 articles 0 photos 28 comments
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I feel like this is about depression because depression seems to trap one in itself and when one tries to escape, they can't and the depression just pulls them back.  However, there are many ways to interpret this poem.  It's very good though :D
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND said...
on May. 29 2013 at 5:32 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. <br /> - Maya Angelou <br /> When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn&rsquo;t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out<br /> The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay<br /> If love produced a blossom/I&rsquo;d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I&rsquo;d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven<br /> And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

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Congratualtions on the Editor's Choice but I'm sure my words are too meagre.  Well,, This was quite some interesting puzzle.. To me it seemed as like a lament of a past misapprehension and fault that somehow someone found out about and then that person became the blackmailing snake and you can't escape the fangs, you're actually trying to appease them somehow,.. because this is something you can't afford to lose.  Hmm? What do you think?
Mckay ELITE said...
on May. 23 2013 at 4:55 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Oh, don't worry about it. As long as you share your feedback that's all that matter. Thanks, Iloveme. 
TanviKusum DIAMOND said...
on May. 22 2013 at 3:20 pm
TanviKusum DIAMOND, Gurgaon, Other
89 articles 4 photos 197 comments

Favorite Quote:
All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers. <br /> Orison Swett Marden<br /> <br /> &quot;The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.&quot; - Anais Nin<br /> <br /> we speak in hushed voices so as to not wake our memories

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I read in your about me that you wanted critisism but I cannot come up with any! Amazing job :D
Kris_10 GOLD said...
on May. 13 2013 at 9:30 pm
Kris_10 GOLD, North Scituate, Rhode Island
10 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...&quot; -Theodore Roosevelt

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You're welcome!
Mckay ELITE said...
on May. 5 2013 at 6:48 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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"Mystic"—HAHA ^U^ I like that word to descrbie this poem. I love your interpretation as well. Thanks for taking the time to decipher it; I appreciate that more than anything possible. And that it left an image, albeit hazy, in your mind. Thanks, AugustSummerFling. (I like that name; very creative.) 
Mckay ELITE said...
on May. 5 2013 at 6:46 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

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Thank you. I feared that people would hate this poem due to the unclear—or at least inconspicuous message. I'm very happy it has you thinking about what it truly means. Thanks, Kris. 
AugustSummerFling PLATINUM said...
on May. 4 2013 at 11:42 pm
AugustSummerFling PLATINUM, Mylapore, Chennai, Other
35 articles 0 photos 265 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;For you, a thousand times over.&#039; - Hassan, The Kite Runner<br /> <br /> A professional writer is an amateur who didn&#039;t quit.

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Wow that was one mystic poem. Kind of the thoughts you get when you think of someone you dread very much but can not cut out of your life. You just have to bear with that person no matter what. Good job :) I like the hazy image it paints in my head
Kris_10 GOLD said...
on May. 3 2013 at 4:40 pm
Kris_10 GOLD, North Scituate, Rhode Island
10 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...&quot; -Theodore Roosevelt

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This is one of those poems that doesnt have a clear message, but it's a good thing. ususally, an unclear message simple makes the reader confused, but what you managed to do was keep them thinking. Good job!