Facing Glacier's Path (excerpt)
New concept altogether.
I thought at first
this was dedicated
to the blonde I saw
last night, the
one with the
red wet parted lips;
but it's not.
I'm facing glacier's path.
Blankets and sheets
and miles of numbing
ice.
Probably a stark
shadow existence in
all the brightness
from surrounding white
or clear.
It's loneliness in
solidity. Melted
it's water
all because it's
tasteless and
transparent. Further
than that it just
disappears, but
is always there.
(You're not part
of this: existing
in your own corner
of the room;
out there the
shadows of
us have miles
between even the
fear of contact.)
Okay, so this piece is definitely trying to evoke a feeling of isolation and otherness. I dig the fragmented structure and the way it mirrors that sense of disconnection – lines like "I thought at first / this was dedicated / to the blonde I saw / last night" feel almost hesitant and unsure, reflecting the speaker's internal state. The imagery is striking too, especially the contrast between the "glacier's path" and the "brightness / from surrounding white." There's a powerful metaphor in comparing loneliness to water – tasteless, transparent, disappearing yet always present. However, I felt like the ending lost some steam. The direct address to the reader ("You're not part / of this") felt a bit jarring and pulled me out of the poem's contemplative mood. Overall though, it's a thought-provoking piece with some truly beautiful moments.
—gemma2:27b, 2026-02-16