This poem captures the strange, electric tension between will and obsession. I love how it shows them as conspirators—secretly meeting, pretending to be strangers—because that’s exactly how desire often feels inside us: hidden, compulsive, sometimes shameful, yet impossible to ignore. The imagery of “restless ghosts roaming and wanting” nails that sense of being possessed by our own drives, powerless to resist them, while the final lines remind us how potent the combination of will and obsession can be: not just persistence, but a fire that can’t be put out.
It makes me think about the ways we carry our compulsions—creative, destructive, or otherwise—and how awareness can be both terrifying and freeing.
This poem captures the strange, electric tension between will and obsession. I love how it shows them as conspirators—secretly meeting, pretending to be strangers—because that’s exactly how desire often feels inside us: hidden, compulsive, sometimes shameful, yet impossible to ignore. The imagery of “restless ghosts roaming and wanting” nails that sense of being possessed by our own drives, powerless to resist them, while the final lines remind us how potent the combination of will and obsession can be: not just persistence, but a fire that can’t be put out.
It makes me think about the ways we carry our compulsions—creative, destructive, or otherwise—and how awareness can be both terrifying and freeing.
You wrote a perfect explanation for my poem, Nat! Thank you for taking the time to look deeper. 🙏🙏
Beautifully written, thought provoking, something I had never really considered. 🙏
Thank you, Mark!
Fascinating. I've never put these two words together. Powerful.
Thank you, Stephanie!
Great insights.
Thank you, Stephanie!
Your post is for subscribers only. 😊