Daniel Samuelson: Poems

Feb 2014 · 758

Metal (10w)

Daniel Samuelson Feb 2014

Metal (10w)

Because I need
something
to scream back at my soul.

I enjoy so many different types of music, but more often than not I need something heavy to drown out what I feel.

Feb 2014 · 388

Clichés of the Heart, Pt. III

Daniel Samuelson Feb 2014

Clichés of the Heart, Pt. III

“Have hope; there’s someone out there for you. You just haven’t met her yet.”
Allow me to object. I met her years ago
And somewhere in the meantime she showed me what it means to love
And even to this day I feel her name engraved upon my heart.

When I stared into her ocean eyes
And I moved my lips to form “I love you,”
I felt it in my soul: the reason I was born
The purpose of my being, the thing that God intended.

But see, He didn’t make us into perfect-fitting puzzle pieces
(Despite all the idealists and Such Great Heights)
But I believe He destined me to fall in love with her
And He made her to fall in love with someone else.

So now I lie alone, to ponder inequality
And contemplate the ways I'll never be complete.

Please pardon the "love" poem so close to Valentine's day. I know you'll all be sick of them, but love and loss aren't seasonal emotions.
Poor timing on my part. ;)

Feb 2014 · 591

Sorry For Your Immortality

Daniel Samuelson Feb 2014

Sorry For Your Immortality

Don't interpret this as arrogance
But somehow I believe that every word I've penned of you has given you eternal life.
I don’t intend my mindless musings to last beyond the end of days.
But once the pen impacts the paper,
Once the key is struck,
My words obtain a permanence that cannot be undone.
The ways you built me up and broke me down
How you fulfilled my every dream, then showed me where they go to die
How you whispered to me where to find my heart, and then you ripped it out before my eyes.
Every action, every word, love and spite, here and now, immortalized.

If you love a poet
(And worse, if you choose to let him love you, too)
Then you, my dear, will never cease to be.

I'm so fantastic at not moving on. I'd make a great paperweight.

Feb 2014 · 525

Fatal Flaw (10w)

Daniel Samuelson Feb 2014

Fatal Flaw (10w)

I gave you my entire heart.
What a grievous mistake.

It's funny how my brain can be exploding with so many things to say and I'll write them all, but after hours of writing I can concentrate all of it into ten little words. Makes me feel a bit inane and unnecessarily wordy.

Feb 2014 · 1.2k

Progress, Perhaps

Daniel Samuelson Feb 2014

Progress, Perhaps

Finally, I took your pictures down
The ones that hung above my desk and haunted me
Reminding me of better days when I had all I ever wanted,
When you would look me in the eyes and I'd desire nothing more...
When our intertwined fingers were my definition of perfection...

But why should I keep our sentimental moments front and center in my view
When you've already burned the memories and scattered the ashes in the sea?

Too often I find my lovesick nostalgia suffocating me while I stare into your pretty Polaroid face.
So, I stuffed our every photo in the back side of a picture frame--
--a photo booth at senior prom, our graduation, a smiling push on a swing,
A black-and-white of holding hands, walking away, heads cast down but eyes lit bright--
--and I shoved them in a box, hoping that my mind will someday follow suit.

I have learned I need to let you go
Even though I never want to lose you.

*Update*: My best friend/roommate put up pictures of himself making faces and eating pizza in the empty spaces that her pictures once occupied. He's the best.

Jan 2014 · 494

Shrapnel (10w)

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

Shrapnel (10w)

Our
         love
          was
   a hand
   grenade.
   You pulled
      the pin.

Might elaborate on this idea a little bit for a future poem. A little cliché never killed anybody (at least I hope not. What a sad way to go).
*Update*: I made it a visual poem. But if it looks dumb, let me know and I'll probably change it back.

Jan 2014 · 1.9k

Tundra

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

Tundra

As the flowers bow their heavy heads at the cusp of early winter,
In such a way do I withdraw, as freezing rains begin to fall.
When the dew becomes the frost, summer's grass recedes into the earth.
So do I surrender, stumble, and finally retreat within myself.
When the rain begins to pour upon the sand, it seeps between the grains and soaks into the ground
And in this way, my musings dissolve into the ocean of my mind.
The leaves of trees have long since fallen, trodden underfoot
As have my aspirations, love, and longing for the warmth.
Budding bushes, noting winter's cue, fall into their dormancy
As I close my eyes, let out a sigh, and lurch into a snowy sleep.

This sounds a little glum, but in all actuality I love winter and snow. In fact, if it wasn't 1:45 AM and I didn't have a cold I'd be sledding in it right now.

Jan 2014 · 1.9k

Anchor

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

Anchor

You told me once I was an anchor for your soul, and I thought it poetry
That I would keep you steady and safe in the seas of everyday
And be forever held against your starboard side.

But how useful is an anchor to a vagabond?
It binds him to his place when he desires anything but to be stationary
And holds him back and burdens him as he goes about his daily life.

How useful is an anchor to a sinking ship?
Already slipping past the surface, the extra weight serving not a purpose
But to drag it to demise at a more accelerated rate.

How useful is an anchor to an aging sailor?
It only serves to remind him of ferocious storms, and perished comrades,
And countless years he spent and lost at sea.

How useful is an anchor to a roaming heart?
And of what benefit am I to you?

Jan 2014 · 797

Folly

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

Folly

A settled man with the heart of a vagabond
belonging to an artful brain and clumsy hands,
to eloquent thoughts and a stuttering mouth,
to an overarching desire to fly and touch the clouds
and an overwhelming fear of falling to the ground.

Jan 2014 · 1.0k

Clichés of the Heart, Pt. II

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

Clichés of the Heart, Pt. II

Are you still worth my every waking moment?
You used to be my saving grace, my salvation, my atonement.

Now it seems like every ounce of love you had for me has been replaced with hate,
And so I wonder: is every wishful dream of you a waste?

I swear that love (and lack thereof) need not define me
Because I find my heart and lovesick mind confining...

God, remind me of the days I wrote for reasons other than emotion
For something like the clouds, an iron fence, or even for the ocean.

I used to say I’d never write a love poem, not for you or anyone.
But now I’ve nothing left to focus on, seeing how my heart has come undone.

For once upon a time, love was something beautiful and blurred
Not intended to be reckoned with or outlined by my simple human words.

Working on getting out of this love-centered poetry rut. I ought to write on things more meaningful.

Jan 2014 · 1.0k

The Wind

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

The Wind

In the absence of you, what have I left to pursue?
Everything I know is nothing but an unattainable end:
The hunt for perfection in what is flawed,
The search for beauty among the mundane,
The crusade for sanctity and sacredness in all that is profane.
Hence, everything I seek is only madness, and all I say is meaningless.
Simple musings of a man whose mind succumbed to a broken heart
Driven to insanity when he lost the only thing he loved.

Jan 2014 · 1.7k

Dreams

Daniel Samuelson Jan 2014

Dreams

Every time I catch a glimpse of you
My heart just comes unglued
And all I hear is an echoing
“You'll never be enough for me.”

I’ve heard your flirty stories
Of empty kisses and their glories
And it makes me wish I had the same,
That I could love another and feel no shame.

I’m happy that you’ve found felicity
In the hearts of many boys, consistently.
And me? I feel I’ll be alone for quite a while
And I’ll not be causing any blushful smiles.

But... c’est la vie, you see.

As you always play it coy
As you jump from boy to boy
Do you search for glimpses of me
As I look for you in everyone I see?

Love, I hope your dreams are coming true.
And mine as well? Oh, mine are too.
Every nightmare that’s ever crossed my mind
Has reared its ****** head and come to life.

Dec 2013 · 586

Clichés of the Heart, Pt. I

Daniel Samuelson Dec 2013

Clichés of the Heart, Pt. I

"If you truly love something, you must let it go."
I watch the dove fly from my open hands,
A flurry of wings, fear, and confusion.
It spirals above, and for a moment
It seems the world is too much
And it longs to be contained.
But it ceases its sad circle
Without glancing back.
It heralds its freedom
And wings away
To my dismay
As my tears
Begin to
Fall.

I wish it didn't hurt my heart to watch you spread your wings.

Nov 2013 · 766

The Yearning

Daniel Samuelson Nov 2013

The Yearning

Sometimes I wonder if you ever think of me and, if so,
How you manage to brush me from your thoughts
And dream of someone else (I know I never could).
Vagrant minds procure no solace but in love, and
Only in its fair requital. Alas...
Nothing’s ever meant so much to me.
No one’s ever occupied my mind for
Every passing moment of my empty days.

Nov 2013 · 639

Cadence

Daniel Samuelson Nov 2013

Cadence

The final moments that I held you close against my chest
I felt my heart skip beats to match your cadence
And I knew that if you pulled away from me
My empty heart would cease to beat
For absence of a reason.

But you still said goodbye, and you left me pulseless.

Nov 2013 · 813

Reflections, Pt. II

Daniel Samuelson Nov 2013

Reflections, Pt. II

I’ve learned that happiness
cannot be found in the form of comforting words.
I’ve learned that the third time you told me you were sure
hurt me just as badly as the other two.
But I had to make certain.
I’ve learned that a part of me died that night
when you told me you wanted something else
and I held your hand one final time.
I’ve learned that love (at times) is hellish
and that Molotov cocktail of rejection and forsakenness
that came bursting from my heart
left a bloodstain on the love letter I would have given you.
I’ve learned that pain gives way to numbness
When the nerves inside your soul are severed.
I’ve learned that I miss you most in the mornings
when I awake to find you only love me in my dreams.
I’ve learned that I’m not worth the wait, the distance, or the pain.
I’ve learned that I’ll never truly get you off my mind.
Most importantly I’ve learned that happiness is often only real while unconscious.

A response of sorts to "Reflections (What I've Learned in College)" by Gambit. Thank you for the inspiration.

Oct 2013 · 591

2500 Miles

Daniel Samuelson Oct 2013

2500 Miles

It seems that time must fly
For once I scoffed and said
"Never in a thousand years..."
But here I am.
I told you once, "forever"
I promised you, "forever"
And yet, forever somehow came to pass.

I thought I'd never leave my home
I thought I'd never be alone
But now I've crossed these empty lands
And I wonder why I left
And why things had to change.

Now, I sincerely miss you like hell
And I have nothing,
Not even a hope of hearing you smile.

Starting now, I vow
To never make another promise
Or think about the future
For the things I held so close
Were the first to shatter on the floor.

Jul 2013 · 1.4k

A Slow Dance

Daniel Samuelson Jul 2013

A Slow Dance

Do we dance to this song
After we've said our vows and I do's?
Will you hold me close
In your white wedding dress
And stare into my eyes
As they brim, beholding you?
The melody waltzes on.
Is this our farewell,
Departure and heartbreak in 12/8 time?
Will we say our last goodbye
As different tears fill my eyes?
The melody waltzes on.
Will I crumble inside
When its haunting soundscape
And splashing cymbals come to mind
And I remember what I had?
The melody waltzes on.
Somehow I can't discern
Whether the rhythm is truly made for dancing;
It mimics a runner's perfect pace.
Are we running away or toward each other?
The melody waltzes on.
Is it a rendezvous or a cry of surrender?
Is it me bending down on a knee
Or hanging my head in defeat?
Is it everything I've wanted
Or what I have when all is gone?
The melody waltzes on.

Written as ekphrastic poetry (meaning it accompanies a work of art). This poem was inspired by (and written to) "A Slow Dance" by instrumental group Explosions in the Sky.
It gives the poem more meaning if you listen for a bit and read it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RDZ4ZFP1jE
Thanks! =)

Jul 2013 · 752

On Suffering / Pandora

Daniel Samuelson Jul 2013

On Suffering / Pandora

I glared Pandora in her sinful eyes
And simply asked her, "Why?"
Concerning all the dreadfulness unleashed upon the earth
And only for a peek, for the sake of curiosity.
Serpents and plagues spewed past her decaying lips,
Tears streamed and turned to blood
On contact with her ancient skin.
Her eyes pooled and screamed "I'm sorry,"
But faint and drowning, as if under oceans:
Seas of anguish
And centuries of bearing blame.

Jul 2013 · 713

Alone

Daniel Samuelson Jul 2013

Alone

Take me to the land I've seen in dreams,
Where airy thoughts condense in ashen streams,
Where the empty skeletons of trees
Crack and rattle in unfelt breeze,
Where long-lost lovers unite and reminisce
Amidst the fog and quietness,
Where love escapes from lips like vapid mists
And the night is alive with eternal bliss.
Take me to that place, so far from home,
Far from all I've ever known
Where no one is ever truly alone
And no one is ever truly alone.

I write most of my poetry in the twilight of sleep. This poem (no exception) makes an attempt to describe a landscape I saw in a half-dream: dark, secluded, foggy, but somehow beautiful.

*Update*: I found this place while traveling through Virginia. I can't begin to describe how crazy that experience was. Deja vu on some insane level. I think I'd like to live there someday.

Jul 2013 · 820

On Beauty

Daniel Samuelson Jul 2013

On Beauty

If you live your life to follow the sunset
You'll surely end up where you started,
For beauty is fleeting like the day
And charm is deceptive; it passes away.
But when evening is nigh
As the sun elapses sky,
When the age of winter approaches
And pursuit of youth is all but hopeless,
I'll hold you and look love in the eyes
Clutching close my everlasting sunrise.

— The End —