Why do I feel empty?

Like a tree without leaves

A handful of fronds

Hanging on my sleeves

Still fresh, still new

A clean tally, naive

Nothing burdens

My infant conscience

Not a single drop of grief  

Why do I feel hungry?

Like a newborn child

Crying for sustenance

Suckling opportunities

Sad and happy days

Are my milk and honey

Soaking up sun rays

As long as it's sunny

Why do I feel cold?

Like a frozen sky

Leaden and heavy

Teeming with clouds

Waiting to burst open

Carrying the future's

Hundred-thousand plans

Holding up her hands

Stifling her cries...

Why do I feel blue?

Like a restless sea

Waves washing the shore

Of the previous year's

Contaminated sands

Cleansing her pores

Untangling her strands

Why do I feel hopeful?

Like a lover's promise

Of a new beginning

Bringing in its wake

A fresh taste of winning

Vows of a new forever

Through days of tears

And weeks of grinning...

***

Written for PoetsPub January 2019 contest