surviving – I Write Her

Circling Or Tilting?

Published on October 2, 2025October 11, 2025 by Susi Bocks11 Comments

Inspired by Reena’s Xploration Challenge #401

“circling the drain” feels
life’s tilts destabilizing
survival at stake

Reblog – All those little malices by Candice Louisa Daquin

Published on June 27, 2021 by Susi Bocks6 Comments

Another exceptional piece by Candice! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

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June 14, 2021 The Feathered Sleep

All those little malices

By all means ignore me

or dissect me

it seems a parody of contrasts

is my lot

the interplay of intensity and nothingness

for you who climb out of the woodwork and carve my freedom on your belt

you who look away after one glance and do not consult your back mirror

the gaze of this world exhausts me

I want to wade into the deeps and swim off

away from the noise of competition, egos, alarm clocks and paleo diets

to something resembling peace

then

that fissured part of my soul

fractured by time, strife and the religion of need

surfaces breathless

and sighting land, swims back

filled with a longing to be heard, touched, ratified

by those mercuried, humid hands of humans

the lovers, the haters, the players

I can’t pretend to keep up

I am tired beyond my years

trying to understand what makes people break others

why our penchant for destruction, lying and vilifying

is the healthiest hothouse flower of them all

as much as I want to climb inside silence and stay still

my ear pressed to a shell

listening to a fantasy world

I know now, as I am no longer a child

that wonderlust is only for the very young

who inhabit it with such unbridled glee

that we adults stop what we are doing, however important

and watch with indulgent smiles;

as wet and laughing

they dash through sprinklers

shouting

“The dragon got you! Get to the Faraway Tree!”

in that moment, I wish we could recall

what potion we drank to enable us to believe

such kind places ever existed

where, like glossy rubber boots we left at the doorway

all those little malices would fall off

and not muddy the floor

Spiders And Challenges

Published on September 23, 2020 by Susi Bocks25 Comments

Oh, look. A spider on the wall of my shower.
He doesn’t look scared of me. But maybe he’s petrified.
I wonder why he’s still staring, ballsy-like. Makes me think
it’s in his nature, survival above all else.

Got me to ponder further, about humans.
We probably react the same way – stay stuck in place or be primed for action.
Challenges to overcome are just opportunities to tackle life.
If we can, that is.

Now, I’m not a fan of the arachnoids,
so I think I’ll force a standoff as I already have the showerhead in hand.
Water should do the trick nicely, as I slowly begin to aim in its direction.
The spider propels towards the tub on its silken thread like a professional.

Not today, Mr. Spider! Not in my shower or anywhere!
A wave of water forces him down the drain.
Let the showering commence until the soap suds are gone.
Oh, look. The spider was tougher than I thought as I watch him climb up out of the drain.

Life’s like that sometimes.
Good thought as I head out to start my day.
Take no shit, keep going.
Thanks, Mr. Spider!

Using My Spoons

Published on October 10, 2019 by Susi Bocks21 Comments

spoon-theory — Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #108 – 10/10/19

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.*
Every damn day. This life, a daily grind of excruciation.
Always having to adjust mentally, physically and emotionally.
Moving through my day as cautiously as possible.

Pushing through the pain, feeling productive & proud.
I’m beyond the agony when I’m able.
But some days I have no spoons and I go
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave**

*Source: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
**Source: “Dirge Without Music” by Edna St. Vincent Millay