Stong emotions of pain and bittersweet rememberance......M

beware of demanding teardrops!
another "growing experience" runs its course; there will
always be more of lurking in the reeds, jude.
wonderful poetic execution herein.
always enjoy your stuff.
peace & blessings,
carolyn

Loved the ending--words of self-discovery true.

'Then realized, all along
I was merely prey for your jungle heart '

Poetic mastery.

Wendi

Deeply personal. Loved "...on safari, to hunt myself."

Ron

So typical, they are out there...Excellent write. Been offline for a week nearly, back again :)

Ch'erie

Great write! I enjoyed it a lot!

What an impactful write, Jude!
That final line hones right in on the theme perfectly.

wow--such introspection! a good job, i enjoyed it very much

Once you view yourself you know your connections with everyone else. The truth is not easy but it leads us to the ones we connect best with. Isn't it funny how as we view the truth of ourselves that it is often the opposite of what we thought?

This poem spoke to me. "I looked in the mirror and saw the opposite of myself" Very well done Jude.

great closing. great write. thanks for sharing

I ALWAYS LIKE YOUR WORK

I can't get the imagery of 'memory crumbling like cellophane' out of my mind. That is fantastic!

Belle and Richard nail this for me... if that's possible, with such a "pin the tail on the donkey" write... Where IS the bullseye? Like your subject, there are just some things about certain people in ALL our walks of life that just raise to the surface other often complimentary, often sorely adverse attributes in US, making us all too acutely aware that we are all, on whichever side of the fence, both prey and victim. As long as we stay around such people, it is like planet and satellite forever circling in the same vicious spheres of orbit... Once we break away, it is easier to see things for what they truly are, about both parties. Love the play on words: "prey for your jungle heart"; if one IS apportioning blame here, it is almost as the words of the Judge after passing sentence: " and may God have mercy on your soul"! :))

Apart from that, makes me think of that other well-known contemporary arbiter of the people, Rob Thomas, and the lyrics from his "Push" song: "I don't know if I've ever been good enough, I'm a little bit rusty, and I think my head is caving in. And I don't know if I've ever been really loved By a hand that's touched me, well I feel like something's Gonna give And I'm a little bit angry, well This ain't over, no not here, not while I still need you Around. You don't owe me, we might change Yeah we just might feel good. I wanna push you around, I wanna push you down, I wanna take you for granted."... Ahhhhh... That feels better!! :)) The Laws of the Jungle rule here. And stalking and being stalked can become compulsive, I think. Would make a good psychological thriller, Jude! And careful where you point that rifle... LOL K xx

This a beautifully written poem.
Very sad but its very true love is truly
On adventure that no one can't
Predict the outcome a true reality of life!!
Creative choice of words which
provide with nice imagery and emotions
Love that soft tender tone and flow!!
Excellent poem!!
Love And Peace to you Always...Morning Star

Ace,

Whenever we dare to love openly and honestly, we make ourselves vulnerable. I want to live and love freely, so I would have it no other way. May all predators be damned but I will live my life within the fulness of the sun!

Love & Light always and in all ways,
Joseph*

I loved, "So instead, I went on safari...to hunt myself...this is a great metaphor and this reader enjoyed every line.

Then realized, all along
I was merely prey for your jungle heart

Your words (above) sum up an experience of mine most adequately and accurately, my friend. Thank you, Jude. Love and peace to you,

Regis

Emotions true to the reality of life!!

Well done my friend!!

Love Tinka

"It was always an adventure trying to get to know you
So instead, I went on safari
To hunt myself
Then realized, all along
I was merely prey for your jungle heart"

Oh, I like these closing lines, Robert! Very well stated!

amazing the variety of perception your poems insite...

i did laugh at the rhyme..."Perhaps, I am too crass? You always said, “I was such an ass”

Love is always an adventure that we can't predict the outcome. This piece is deep with emotions and imagery. You are right in saying that we are all just frey for the jungle heart.

~hugs~
Karen

Failure, in any form or mode, with people, in the workplace, with ones artistic endeavors, with unacchieved goals, certainly makes one more objectively introspective. Hopefully, in the process, revisions are made that clarify new and better directions.

Yes ... sometimes we are used - sometimes we use - the symbiotic balancing act that often erupts between people "trying" to acchieve something together can provide an abundance of emotional and intellectual fodder that at times gives one a good dose of constipation.

I've wondered of late - if all these people, that seem to get along and respect one another in the virtual realm, ever got together in one room, what would happen. Would there still be respect and camaraderie or ........

Your excellent write touched a nerve in me Jude ... it brought back many memories of me in my twenties when I often fought a beast inside of me. Blessings to you!

Light and Wisdom ...

It was always an adventure trying to get to know you

And some adventures end very badly; I know several of mine have, but, yet, I always look forward to the next one.

Excellent write. True to emotions when a writer can touch your thoughts and make them seem personally penned. I believe it does make one search inside for it has touched a longing perhaps one did not know still existed.

Welcome to the jungle where beauty and purpose abound. Lady J

The striking imagery and emotion in this piece exemplifies the questions we must ponder within ourselves. Sometimes we have to go on safari -travel the shaded path into the heart of darkness, to hunt the quarry within ourselves. Marvelous work, Jude!
~Butch

Great write with a great ending.
Hugs Angela

Fantastic ending to the query in your heart and mind.

Love the congo effect of this one a safari many can relate to the heart the field of all relentless element... Wonderful work in this one Jude!

Prey for your jungle heart...Realizing you are his prey and he's coming after you...
Loved it,

Michael

Jude,

With incredible lines and imagry, you've penned one that hurts: excellent!

(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.

For those who find themselves wrapped in cellophane, thinking this might just preserve them alittle longer, withstanding the realms of the real wild animals, nows your chance...break away, before the donkey in you realizes he's not smart enough to leave the barn...LOL!
I could go on and on, for you led your readers much to dwell on and in...this jungle!
Enjoyed!
Love and Peace~
Kimmy~

"memory crumbling like cellophane" - this is a fabulous image, I can hear the crackling sound of that transparency being gradually crushed and creasing down to vagueness. In fact, I read here all the ambiguity of certain relationships I also remember (like "cellophane") having experienced - and that state of uncertainty they slyly "fold" us in, actually managing to make us wonder about ourselves - like, "am I too crass?", among other doubts. It hurts, like the bite of a predator - until we find out, one day, that we're no longer preys of... trying to get to know others better, while neglecting to know ourselves. We're just fine, then... while they keep being starving prisoners within the jungle of their hearts. This is an outstanding poem, dear Jude, and a vision of striking lucidity.
Love & {{{{{hugs}}}}}
Alexandra*

Amazing how predators hide their sharp teeth from the world but of necessity must at last reveal them to the prey they want to devour. Deep poem Jude, much deeper than it appears on the surface. Masterful write.

What an imagen to the read to ponder of oneself going on a safari to hunt to itself!
But, it is true? we are wrong when we thing we live in a state of illusion?
If you are an ass...so many of us are too.
Keep'm coming.
Georg

Wisdom beyond your years... and of my understanding male-female relations. This is excellent crafting... of an old and worn song, and you do it proud, my friend. - Bill

An honest reflection and full of insight, Jude. This is so honest that it breaks my heart. Very well done.
Love,
CJ

Jude,

The trap is age old and few escape with their mind. Just be glad your not a black widow spider, they eat their mates. (lol) I love your word usage my friend.

Yay never beat yourself up... You chase them till they catch you...

Jude this one is intense as you try to analyize somting that you can't. Love is beyond understanding it is only a feeling that one possesses and must learn to release when it is gone. Somehow though in our minds we have this desire to play the guilt/blame game when things go wrong.

Fee

Wonderful sentiment from a brilliant mind and heart.

demanding tears and a jungle heart hiding out in the bush makes it hard to build trust, huh? I loved that first image of memory crumpling like cellopane right through to the safari hunt. we all learn something more about ourselves when we become somebody's prey or lose someone to their endless need for another hunt. nice work. Dawn

Jude, peotry at its best. Such a sad, heartbreaking tale. Time for new horizons?
Be safe,
Karen

I've been that hyena bitten on the rear by the jackal, BUTT...who's laughing now? The velocity of the quill in high-powered cross-hair Serengeti poetry...zebra stripes and a cold long-neck, Jude...

Sage

I think most of us have gone through that experience of having been someones prey, only you can tell it better;-) You always make each poem an unique experience.That's why I love to read you! I wonder who had the jungle heart;-)...

Sounds like a case of emotional manipulation.
Glad the safari worked. Good one, Robert.

Elizabeth

Wow, what an ending
The hunter becomes the hunted
I pray not mortally wounded.
Outstanding verse.
DWB