Tangled up in Black

In the alleys of your heart
In the backstreets of your brain
from the constant buzzing beltway
under rusted lock and chain

In the pain inside your sternum
the boiled marrow in your bones
lurks an ever-growing darkness
over jagged rocks and stones

In dark valleys of depression
and the not so grand delusions
in a vice grip of obsession
in your manic-plagued illusions

With a never-ending stipend
of more than you can bear
an abundant over-ripened
softened fruit
of deep despair

An undefined sad solitude
that something is amiss
always on that taunting edge
of a welcoming abyss

An open-ended sadness
a journey never-ending
exhausted by the battle plan
of constantly pretending

You’re looking for an exit
a respite from the black
an off-ramp from the sadness
a train that jumps the track

“I can’t believe he did it
I can’t believe he’s gone
no one truly knew
the darkness of his dawn”


Geoffrey Reilly is a skilled, passionate, and collaborative information designer and writer with over 30 years of experience in the software industry.  He lives in Warren, RI with his wife Meg and their dog, Pepsi.

In his spare time, he writes essays, poetry, and (every now and then) short stories.

You can find his creative endeavors on his blog site, Bending the Needle – Truth Hurts and on his personal website.


If you would like to have your work published in The Poetry Bar send your poem, a few words about yourself and the link to your blog and Instagram account to the e-mail poetrybar1@gmail.com

2 thoughts on “Tangled up in Black

  1. Just amazing! Such a great poem.

    1. Thanks for the kind words.

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