Indentured
You write
inside the circle
I write
outside the arc
Praise and pander
despoiled ground
Where my words
refuse to park
Applause and cheers
to follow
Like the Reaper
closing in
Owning your soul
with each accolade sold
Indentured
— to their whim
(Dreamsleep: November, 2025)
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▾ This Poem's Voice
Your Poem's Voice
Philosophical commentary on artistic integrity versus commercial compromise, grounded in personal creative tension.
Dense packing of ideas: artistic compromise, soul-selling, audience pressure, control—multiple concepts in brief form.
Strongly negative: despair, indenture, corruption, threat. Dark tone throughout with no redemptive resolution.
Sharp, jagged line breaks and fragmented syntax create kinetic tension. Aggressive imagery ('Reaper,' 'despoiled').
Approximately 9-10 lines depending on formatting. Falls in 7-15 line range.
Metaphor (circle/arc, soul-selling, Reaper), personification (words refuse to park, Reaper closing in), allusion.
Pure lyric internal voice. Speaker reflects inward on creative compromise; no narrative or dramatic persona shift.
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