Breathing in the watery world
Feeling calm and just watching
As the hours begin to unfurl
Marking it down with the notching
Of high heels as a working girl
- this is life
The warm smell of cement
The constant meetings to repent
Not to think I am exempt
From my addictions- my vices
Never tire and never vary
Though my soul does weary
Some days are spent spoken
Some are spent in silence
With the buzz of electricity
With the hum of slight defiance
- this is life
Alive and burning wit
Crawling of hands and feet
Dragging down and will not quit
A virus of kinetic theory of heat
- this is life
I can go on and on at will
But some days I just gotta pay the bill
The due, the price, the marking point
Much more sweet than a barrel
The upbeat drumbeat of an hourglass
Of a soul measured by petabecquerel
- this is might
Enjoying your poem(s). But, I want to understand all its nuances, but I need some help on several lines. I will start with one: "Much more sweet than a barrel". What does "barrel" refer to, please. I love the lines between "the warm smell of cement" to "though my soul does weary" ... the transition from the common things in life to your feelings ... the idea of repentance going on in meetings ... Lots of stuff to ponder in this poem, but I feel compelled to move on ... my email is tugging at my leg.
Several meanings popped in my head, thus the ambiguity. Barrel: -Of a gun -As in a small cask of alcohol Also the latin word is doliolum- which is a small watery creature that looks like it is stuck inside of a barrel as well. The last refers to the idea of being perpetually stuck in a small cask of sorts, unable to move out of it. It also alludes to the beginning of being stuck in a watery world. Take as you will.