This is something I wrote as a part of a blogging team a while ago and I decided to post it here, too. Here you can read my post on how to keep hope alive. Special thanks to all of you who read my posts! My last poem got hyped a lot more than I expected!
Here you can buy and read the description of one of my favorite books "ICO : Castle in the Mist" which is the theme of this poem I'm writing. I hope you like it, cause I've put my best into making it a really good poem. The story of this book is based on a videogame. It sounds weird, I know.
The theme song is also a masterpiece and one of my favorite songs.
Here it is :
Above : The boy and the girl of the story, Ico and Yorda, holding hands. In the story, when Ico doesn't hold her hand or if he is not near her, the souls of the sacrifices try to take her back to the cage through dark wholes that appear on the floor. The painting above was inspired by "The Nostalgia of the Infinite" by the painter Giorgio de Chirico and it was painted by the director of the videogame, Fumito Ueda. The painting depicts a part at the ending of the story, where Ico and Yorda try to escape the castle.
I first played the videogame when it came out, in 2001-2002. To this day, it's still one of my favorites.
There's nothing like this place, this castle in the mist
a scary place, a place of pain, but no one can resist.
It's a ripple in the ocean, yet, it is the whole world
an empty place, it can't be explained by no word.
Nothing can define this empty castle sitting on this hill, next to the sea, but so far from this world, from this galaxy
abandoned, vacant, empty, lifeless, blank , like a little cavity.
Oh, Castle, are you real, or are you a mirage?
Am I your slave, your friend, or am I in charge?
I do not know, but I do know that within you, there lies death.
Are you my rebirth or are am I to leave here my last breath?
I am a sacrifice, born for you
but I can't find a way to get through to you.
The sarcophagus broke in half, like it was made of dust
it's late now, it's the time of dusk..
No one knows where you are, oh, Castle, you're forbidden,
only the priests and kings know your location, the place where you're hidden.
A priest and two soldiers brought me to you, but they closed my eyes
not wanting me to see the way, not wanting for me to see through your disguise.
They all fear you, so they give you sacrifices, us, the horned children,
we're born once even one or two hundred years and we're considered villains,
'cause once, a horned knight tried to destroy your kingdom, your mighty Queen,
and since then, sacrifices are all you've ever seen.
But I am different, because I was born to bring you down,
that's why I fear you castle, I am the first to be capable of bringing you down,
but I'm only a child, not a wise warrior, so I'm afraid
'cause I'm abandoned, like a little cade...
I was supposed to die and give my soul to you, but I'm free, running through your hallways.
I was supposed to be here, with you, always,
to be a part of you, like the crumpled souls of the other sacrifices that live within your walls
but I am different, I'm born to bring an end to your existence, I'm stronger than those souls.
Once I began roaming through your corridors, I found a huge cage
and in it, I found the whole world... I found a girl, at first, it seemed strange
but there she was, her beauty overshadowing me, her pure soul lighted the room.
She was afraid, too, she must've been here for a long time, you're her mighty doom.
I freed her and when she touched me, my heart was filled with light,
a light so pure, it blurred my sight.
Oh, mighty Queen of the Castle, she's you little daughter,
yet, like a prisoner you hold her.
That's because, you have no body of your own, oh Queen, you're the Queen of darkness
and you want to kill the light of the world, dear Queen, that's why you bring her sadness.
You both have lived for thousands of years, but haven't aged a day,
'cause you're only a spirit and she's your vessel, you're the hunter, she's the prey.
She once wanted to destroy your deathly plans, alongside the horned knight
but you brought an end to it, guarding her from the light.
You made her you prisoner, forever to be here,
to serve your purposes. She's just a child, but she's your heir.
She wishes she could be gone,
but she doesn't even know, if she'll see another dawn.
But thousands of dawns have passed, but she did not notice,
'cause you've forsaken her, you broke another promise.
She forgot how to speak, she can't communicate, but she gives me visions,
memories of this place. I see its' glory and that it's vicious,
but tell me, Queen, why, oh why, did you want the God of Darkness to rule,
why do you deprive the world of the Light and treat it like a tool?
Me and her, your little daughter, we're born to destroy you, don't you know?
It has been your destiny, and it's happening, right now.
Can't you feel it, creeping upon you like the morning sun?
I forgot that light can't touch you, you can't feel it, none.
Every time that I touch her hand, I see another memory
another story of her life, which you've coated with emery.
I feel something that you can't, that's why I'll defeat you, it's love
but you're as gloomy and caliginous as the mist that twirls and swirls above.
The Castle is dusty, old and destroyed,
yet that is only a disguise, to make it seem void.
We face each other, Queen, and you try to kill me,
but your daughter and all those spirits, help me
to avoid your deadly curse. I want to leave the Castle and take your daughter away
to make us disappear, like a needle in the hay.
It's hard but we can make it, I fight with all my will
we're trying to escape, get away from this hill.
The Light fights the Dark and soon the end will come,
to either your whole army, or maybe of them, some
but surely, we'll escape, I have no doubt of that.
Many people that tried to do it, you've turned them to stone, I can't forget that,
but the knight comes to my sight, his ghost gives me his sword
"and with it, you'll defeat her" is all I'm told.
As we fight, I pass out and wake up in the sea
and your daughter is all that I can see,
she holds my hand, but I don't know if we defeated you
as soon as she could speak, she told me " I believe in YOU".
But my strength gives up on me, I pass out once more
I wake on a beach, left without her, the one that I adore.
I don't know where I am or what to do, so I try to return, back to my home
I travel fast, through forests and next to seas, under a sky painted orange, looking like a dome.
Days begin and end and soon I found my way back,
back to my village, while the sky's black.
I tell them all about our story and how we defeated her,
but I can't forget about you, oh, how I wish you were here..
I'll come back for you, now that the Dark is lost
I hope that when I come, I'll find you by that coast.
I still feel you, you mean so much to me
your beauty is something that's way beyond me.
I am on my way to find you, just to see
if you're there or if I lost you at the sea. I hope you're well, now that your doomed days are over
but what if I don't find you, will all of it be over?
I dream of you, but we're apart,
but soon, I'll find you and I'll give you all my heart. The journey's long, but I can't wait to live with you by my side,
it's sad, the way I'm so messed up inside.
I'll come, my love, I'll find you,
and then, I wish to live my life beside you. Sweet Yorda, where are you? Are you somewhere safe?
I hope you'll be there, so I see your face again.. One day..
There must be a few mistakes in this poem. Either way, no one's perfect, right?
Truth... People have been searching for the truth since the very first human being set foot on earth. The eternal "goose-chase". The truth about how were we created, is there a superior being or not, what is our purpose and the truth about a thousand more things.
Not all of those who search for the truth really care about it. Or really search for it. Because, as stated above, the search for truth is an eternal "goose-chase". Now, I am not talking about any subject in specific. It could be anything.
Truth is not something that's easy to acquire. Or easy to live with. Not everyone has the interest, the power, the need, the "guts" or whatever else is needed for any form of truth to be unveiled. There are minor truths, everyday-life truths. Personal truths. And there are the major ones. For example, the truth about our existence.
I am just writing this to "poke" the people that will read this, to make them think about it. So I won't go too deep in this post. If anyone is interested, they will think, they will do research and they will discover their own truth(s) about truth. I do not claim to know more than the people who read this. But I can claim that I think. And I want to get some things that I think about "out of my chest". In fact, in this post, I don't want to claim anything but one thing ; that I want people to think about it and discover things on their own.
What is truth? Truth is something many people find but they keep it for themselves. Either to protect others or to feel superior. The really true thing about truth is that people hide, destroy, twist and distort. A lie can be transformed into a truth. People even want to mess with other peoples' conceptions about truth itself, for many reasons, which can't always be determined. Sometimes, people do it to themselves. They distort their own truths. Maybe to feel better, maybe to get rid of some truth that they wished was a lie. So they disguise truth as a lie, sometimes.
But someone that is really searching for truth, is willing to sacrifice everything. The ability to think and to judge, plus curiosity, is the curse but also the blessing of humans. It makes us want to search for more. To question. So, we send ourselves to a journey that is not for every person. It's a harsh journey and the truth's even more harsher. Some people lose their sanity because of this. Because we always question everything. Well, not all of us, but some do. And that leads us to this eternal journey. Some don't make it out of it. Some question themselves even more. I guess that's how it will always be.
One thing is for sure; the search for truth, for pure truth, is hard. Anyone searching for it will tell you not to begin searching for the major truths, if you're not willing to pay the price, or even cope with the truth, if you ever find it. I want to search for many major truths. It's a hard thing to do, but what good thing isn't hard to acquire?
I hope this little article triggered the mechanism of your inside thinker. I hope you get my point, whether you've thought about what was said above or not. If not, I hope you will.
I was inspired to write this, because this is what I was doing some minutes before; I was walking alone, in the middle of the night. I do it a lot, but this time, while I was walking, words started to get into my head and they formed this. I don't think it's such a great piece of writing, but it's something that I knew I had to write.
I walk alone.... as the night falls, as the darkness takes over I walk alone, in the night, feeling like I don't walk; like I hover over the road, over the world. I walk alone, but I am not by myself on this journey because even when I walk alone, there is always someone there, someone yearning for me, someone I love, someone I trust. People that time can't erase from my mind, people that fight on the same side as me, people good, people kind. Memories are there, too, to keep every part of me alive, to keep me going. Good or bad, it doesn't matter, because they both are a part of this being. I walk alone and the road in front of me is long; but that only makes me stronger, knowing that many walk, but few until the end of it, few want it to be longer. Because they don't know; the longer the path, the bigger the reward. I fight and conquer, but I don't need a sword. 'Cause even if I am alone, I have the biggest weapon within me all the people I love, all the people I care about, they are the light that shines within me. I walk alone, even though others are walking around me; they only wander. But not me, I don't wander, because my journey, isn't the kind that people can ponder. I have a long road ahead of me, but it makes me happy, never sad that I have a goal to reach, so I can't just stand. If you ask these people that are walking close to me, they only see few lights in the night cause they don't see what I can; they are blind, they don't see the real light. The light of inspiration within me, the one that even in the night, shines brighter than the sun. I'm inspired; therefore I inspire. But not all of us can walk this road, few really can. This secret "power" is not a gift all of us possess, so not all can see through the eyes of their soul. Knowing this, I try to shed some light in others' worlds, even through the tinniest hole. So I walk alone, but I don't feel alone. 'Cause I was inspired to inspire. And I was inspired to give, to help, to light a fire. A fire that can heal the whole world, if all of us were to carry this heavy load until the end, if all of us wished to be the burden bearers, to carry away the evil and bring it to an end. So I want to let everyone know... you're not alone. This is dedicated to everyone that walks beside me, even when I am alone.
If this is a dream (if it is, it's the most vivid dream I've ever had) I don't ever want to wake up.
Through all the negativity, through the rain, through the pain, through the fire. Friends, REAL friends, still continue to be next to you, while you go through ALL that. The feeling that you can really rely on someone is unique...
Nothing can make someone feel better more than helping others. Many think, that no one in this world is to be trusted. That we're all enemies. That all this is a battle.
That's why the society in my country is bleeding. No trust, no will to lend a helping hand to those who need it the most. As a wise friend said, the problem lies in the society. It's not just economical. The society is rotten and people like me, who NEED to help others, smell the corpse of this country, slowly decomposing. Many pretend, they try to convince themselves nothing is happening. But as this country turns into ashes, we only try to spread that fire. If we don't help others, how can we help OURSELVES? How can we live our lives, knowing that we live only to please our own desires, which are greedy & ruthless? How can we live, always pointing our fingers at someone else, blaming them, but never blame ourselves ? Why can't we stop talking and start DOING things? I can't figure out how so many people are blind....
Friends are not sure if they should trust each other. I believe that true friends have to give everything to their friends. Friends are one of the best things in the world. The term friend, is now misconceived. Friend is the person that is willing to make YOUR PROBLEMS, equally important to his own, if not more. This type of friend is a breed that is almost close to extinction.
However, as I found out these past 2 years, some friends are different. Real friends do exist. You experience, exchange things with them. But no one asks for a reward. We are rewarded by seeing our friends smile.... We feel good, when they do. If you don't feel like that, you're not a true friend.
My life changed so drastically this year, that I don't even recognize myself. And that happened because someone believed in me. Showed me I mean a lot to some people. Showed me I can do things. I can make a change.
I wanna thank 3 people, without saying their names; they will understand. I would never expect to be who I am. I feel so strong, so happy. And it's all because they're by my side and as long as we help each other, we're happy. We change each others life.
Guidance is all we need. I want to thank the person, that believed in me more than anyone, and with his guidance, changed me to who I am today. I was lost. I was hopeless. But I found my way. And if the way is not paved, I will pave it.
Right now, when we're in need of support, because we all know bad times are coming, how can we not work as a team, a FIST and make a change? We need to wake up and take action. We need to stop being selfish.
And that, doesn't come from someone pretending to be perfect, trying to point out other people's mistakes. That comes from someone that did take action. Maybe on a personal level, but before you say it's too small, remember the butterfly effect. A small change, can trigger a mechanism that makes a lot of changes. Huge ones....
Imagine if we all made a small change every day. This world would be a better place.
So, here I AM.
A little butterfly. I'm flapping my wings.... Hoping for a CHANGE.
