Free Spirit Trapped : A Poetry Anthology

By Matthew Marchon

Intense. Vulnerable. Lyrical. Heartbreaking. Profound.

For years I wielded the microphone as if it were a sword, my only weapon. My books of poetry, my shield. The intricacy of rhymes woven together transformed my weakest moments into an artform. It gave me strength. It gave me hope. It gave me reason. And now I give it to you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Marchon
• Release date: Apr 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386110286

Book preview

Introduction

This anthology of poems and verses, collected over the last twenty years, is more than a book. This is a part of me.

Many of these pieces were never meant to see the light of day. You see, the purpose of poetry is to collect your thoughts on the page. A diary with an artist’s touch. A magnifying glass aimed at the author’s soul.

I used that same approach on my songs, exposing parts of my conscience that most of us think, but never say. Those deep, dark secrets that escaped in moments of weakness are what resonated most with everyone who heard them. So I decided to open my heart to the world in everything I do. Music. Poetry. Novels.

Perhaps I share too much. But someone has to. Someone has to let you know that you’re not alone. So I give you my most private thoughts. My most vulnerable moments. My failures.

I share with you my weaknesses, my heartbreaks, my insecurities, my doubts and fears. My broken dreams.

For years I wielded the microphone as if it were a sword, my only weapon. My books of poetry, my shield.

The intricacy of rhymes woven together transformed my weakest moments into an artform. It gave me strength. It gave me hope. It gave me reason.

And now I give it to you.

Nothing To Remember

(from Content In The Rain)

(as Matthew Morris from Poverty’s Poetry)

UNMISTAKABLY ALONE in the crowd but I try not to show it

Suspended in time

Forever trapped in this lonely moment

This congested hell of mine

They’ll move on to something bigger and better

I’ll be standing here wishing

Stagnant, forever

Broken under pressure

We may have gotten here together

But we’ll walk away apart

The silence of what I should have said weighing heavy on my heart

The memories of what I should have done now haunt me in the dark

If I could go back knowing what I know now

I wouldn’t go back

I would run like hell and never slow down

Never look over my shoulder or ever turn around

If I had to face it all again I wouldn’t make it

Their incessant torment caused years of tears

I suppose that’s where the pain went

What I didn’t cry bottled up

Now my hand strains to explain it

Buckling beneath the growing weight of my thoughts

As well as the hate that they placed on my heart

We are not the same

You’re not even similar to me

Categorized together trivially

But we are not alike

We will forever be at war for what you did to me

A truce is not an option but right now I’m laying dormant

I swear someday I’ll strike

And your apologies won’t be important

I bet that I’ll forget or simply just ignore it

Either way I won’t forgive you for it

Maybe you’ll remember when I come back for revenge

Today I know I’m nothing to remember

But you’ll remember then

Mistaken Happiness

(from In The Desperation Of Darkness)

NIGHTLY

She holds the bottle tightly

And drinks away her life

Thinking I don’t want to be like me

She drinks until she thinks she might be

Somebody else

Or at least the pain eased slightly

And took the blame off herself

Even if she wanted to

She couldn’t tell you what is wrong

Because nothing’s wrong

She’s just not strong

She’s been weakened over time

Every weekend getting high

Hit the bottle then the bong

And a bed where she doesn’t belong

She’ll disappear before dawn

Wishing she were stronger

Strong enough to walk the path she chose to walk on

All hope is gone

It’s the bottle that’ll help her along

It gives her strength

When her heart is too weak to be complete

And the fake smile on her cheeks can’t compete

Not with the loneliness that creeps

Over her soul in this defeat

Her smile was lost

Double crossed a long time ago by her demons in the deep

She takes a sip the second liquor touches her lips

And you condone it

Because you don’t know it’s killing every component

That makes her whole but you don’t care

Because she’s drunk and she’s there

And it makes her more