The Emancipation of Emotions

A sequence of poems by Hunter King

Bio:
A sequence of poems all revolving around the destructive nature that emotions can have on a
person’s life. Themes of evolution and reformation are also present. One can only find peace
when they learn to embrace and properly manage their emotions.

Poems Featured:
Formula
Food For Thought
The Grieving of the Leaves
Amity
Mourning
Meditation
Peace
 Preface
One of the main concepts that I have learned really stands out within my poetry is the
concept of emotions. As with many other people in life, there are hardships that tend to bring out
the worst in us, whether we are riddled with anxiety, depression, or anger. Through developing
my writing through poetry, I realized that I, more often than not, chose to write about what I
knew best during my current situations in life - the feelings that I were experiencing and how
they influenced my decisions and outlook on life. During the process of writing this sequence of
poems, I felt the urge to express the emotions that I was currently experiencing because I thought
that the freshness of these emotions would be more detailed than if I were to write about
emotions that I felt in the past. As a full time college student that also balances a part time job,
life can be incredibly difficult at times. However, I didn’t want to solely focus on one specific
emotion because humans are emotionally complex creatures. Furthermore, I didn’t want to focus
solely on the stress, anxiety, and depression that I feel, but on other emotions as well, such as the
grief of losing a loved one, the nervousness you feel around someone you care about, and even
the heartbreak of losing the friends you care about the most.
I wrote this sequence of poems during my sophomore year of college, as I was working
toward obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. I’m not entirely sure what the future
holds for my education, but I would at the very least like to obtain an associate’s degree, as I
have already put so much work into completing the general education requirements. I would like
to say that I felt inspired to write these poems somewhere interesting, such as in a cafe with a cup
of coffee in one hand or on the beach, listening to the calming waves as they crash onto the
shore, but alas, the true origin of the writing location of these poems isn’t so interesting. I wrote
them alone, in the shade of my bedroom, with the faint noise of a box fan leaning against my
wall. As a college student struggling to manage their time, this “writing zone” is about as
interesting as it can get. But in the end, I think the darkness of my room inspired my emotions to
spill out onto the paper even further.
As the bio states, this sequence of poems revolves around the destructive nature of
emotions if they aren’t properly managed. The main character of interest in the poem is a
nameless human that grows up in a village that seems like a utopia to live in. Everyone in this
village cares for each other and the nature surrounding them is stunning and serene. It seems as if
this could be the picture perfect world to live in, but when inevitable hardships do eventually
happen, the residents of the village don’t properly know how to cope with them. This is
especially true for the main character, who becomes a recluse once they get their first encounter
with the grief that comes from losing a loved one. Their reclusive tendencies drive away
everyone that cares about them, causing the main character to reevaluate their troubles and learn
to fully understand themself better. It is only when they are able to manage their emotions that
they are finally able to find peace within themself. And through expressing my own personal
emotions through this main character, I am able to find some sort of peace within myself as well.
 Formula
By: Hunter King

An ugly baby boy was conceived in the grassy plains outside our village
Screams so shrill the crickets went silent
Who was this mistake that intruded into their home?
They hoped the wind would carry the baby away

Even the soft caresses of an adoring mother couldn’t soothe

it’s cruel, cold cries
She cooed and shushed with all the will of a warrior-
One that our village raised her to be

But it wasn’t enough.

Nothing would ever be enough for an infant whose howls
echoed along with the breeze miles away
No one would sleep that night
Not the rabbits who nestled in their grassy nests,
not the healers in the village who spent all day working,
especially not the innocent child-bearer whose droopy eyes
fluttered open with each exhale of sound from her baby chick

The mother knew the baby would always be emotional

Despite how many times they would try to bottle their emotions up
The emotions would spill out of bottle
like the impending rush of an oncoming tsunami

And they would destroy EVERYTHING in their path.

 Food For Thought
By: Hunter King

The sprout in the dirt sways along to the morning breeze

It thirsts
under the blazing rays of sun
When will the gardener make her daily visit?
The watering can sloshing with each triumphant step
Her shadow would wash over the petulant petals
The sprout in reaction would shrivel -
not from the blinding glimmer from
the ball of tangy orange juice in the sky -
but from the gardener’s presence alone.
No, the sprout did not fear her
It just could never be satisfied from her love
Instead it stood with its foot planted in the dirt,
impatiently waiting for its daily fix
Despite the sprout’s pettiness, the gardener never punished it
Each day, she loved her baby the same and smiled
waiting for her little angel to blossom with each tiny splash of water
The spoiled sprout selfishly refused to change -
but the gardener remained optimistic, for she knew
that one day, her precious child would bloom in its own special way.
 The Grieving of the Leaves
By: Hunter King

But you know this already

You Know how the crimson leaf hesitates
from jumping off the oak branch
It desires to flutter down with its friends

But what if the winds change?

What if a reflectively ocean blue car

smashes its dreams into oblivion?

Oh how the leaf longs to fulfill its purpose

Its stem quivers from the thought of release

Is it too soon to let go?

The loss of a place so familiar
How can a leaf grieve?
 Amity
By: Hunter King

I carry my joy in my knapsack as I tread into town

The sheets I sleep under once made me groggy,
but today my grin shall shine brighter than the sun

The aroma of freshly baked bread emanates from the

wicker basket I grip confidently in my right hand
This gift I bestow is not mine to possess
Mother always taught me to bring optimism into a world so dark
so I bear this offering to my neighbors in hopes that
they too will feel inspired to carry on goodwill and
show off their pearly white smiles that glitter under the morning sun

The first receiver of my loaves of bread belongs to a man -

His teal eyes illuminated with warm regards,
his freshly shaven face longing to be held in my hands that
tremble with the mere thought of caressing his blessed skin
I dismiss the flurry of butterflies and place a loaf in his grateful hands
Biting my lip as I continue down the path

Two children freely scream as they notice my appearance,

their recently cobbled shoes clacking down the cobblestone road
My legs are hugged and giggles are omitted
I am more than happy to bid farewell to two more loaves

The moon pushes its way into our view and

my basket has been emptied by many grateful villagers
I know this must be my purpose in life-
bringing joy to the people I love the most.
I hug my mother and express my appreciation for her guidance before I
settle into the chilling embrace of my bed sheets

I am content.
 Mourning
By: Hunter King

The first droplet of water splatters onto the creaky planks of our home
She has left me in isolation without warning
Mother-
Where have you gone?
You have gone still as a statue and yet, you aren’t here.
I feared the day would come where I no longer would hear your loving guidance
but instead have to sit in my problems alone
Please, guide me through these troubled waters
I was never equipped to approach your loss with open arms
The empty space is an intruder I can never welcome into our home
My hands tremble seeing you in this state
I desperately urge to sob to break the silence between us,
but instead the potential cries that would have been produced build-
stacking higher and higher into an unmanageable tower of pain that
singes the back of my throat.
I fear the third degree burn will melt my vocal cords until
there is nothing left but the sour, metallic taste on my tongue
The silence is rather deafening, it must be broken.
I open my jaw to exhale what remains of my voice-
straining for something, anything to see the light of day
And finally, the painful yet somehow relieving shriek jumps out,
destroying everything in its path until
nothing remains except the void.
The sightless, soundless, soulless void.
The innocent people I could have saved from my emotions-
All destroyed by the starless galaxy that has corrupted my surroundings.

What have I done?

 Meditation
By: Hunter King

The void is all that remains before this sullen degenerate

A cobalt sky with a lack of stars
Oh how I wish there were stars
Even now I can feel myself drifting through lavender cosmos -
grains of meteorites brushing against my oil drenched skin
But these are just fantasies

My hands feel the need to swim in the empty space,

longing for the slightest sign of human
CONNECTION
What could be the reason for this
A B A N D O N M E N T
Why have YOU forsaken me?

Maybe I deserve this…

No.

I refuse to accept this corruption as a central ventricle within my heart

For the first time in a while, my muscles loosen
My limbs fold in toward my abdomen
The light in my irises dim until the luminescence becomes
shuttered by the window shades of my eyelids
The fog dissipates as my breaths focus into a
bold draft of wind
Ever so slowly my surroundings come back into view
Wafts of freshly fallen pine logs and
feminine, soft floral fragrances seep into my nostrils
Sweet chirps of morning birds, the rustle of leaves that
long for the escape that autumn brings, the tiniest hint of a summer breeze
Goosebumps arise with its gentle caress
Protective shade cools the soft, grainy trail of dirt beneath me
Sweet, sticky waves of honey
Finally, a rush of forest green leaves and reddish-brown bark -
an iridescent hue of blue from a creek -
blooms of magenta lilies and violet lilacs -
and a glow of yellow flows down below from the blinding ball of flames in a baby blue sky
I open my eyes once more and the void is no longer

Restoration.
 Peace
By: Hunter King

The center of the village is silent except for the soothing ring of windchimes
I may be the sole remainder of a once bustling population but
I can revel in the idea that my beloved no longer face turmoil
I now know that what brought about our downfall
is in the past. They would want me to move past the burden of
taking sole responsibility for isolation.
Part of my soul may never be fully forgiving and I may
struggle with keeping the village restored from corruption -
but I have methods of finding peace within
ACCOUNTABILITY

The seasons change before my eyes as fast as each cry of the windchimes
Fallen leaves tumble by my tired feet on the cobblestone road -
Innocent snowflakes flutter as a butterfly on the tip of my nose -
Vibrant marigolds defrost and display a bittersweet aroma along the fields -
And the morning sun still welcomes a warm embrace after all this time.

The void has stopped making its scarce visitations as I approach my elder years
My face has cracked viciously as a result of my journey
but I take honor in the scars I have obtained along the way
After years of ensuring the environment continues to flourish for future travelers
it is nature’s turn to take care of me.

My feet come to a stop as soon my heart will do the same

I lie among the grassy plains of the earth and
exhale the air I have been saving my entire life
Perhaps the remnants of what once was me will grow into a tall pine tree that overlooks
the forest my ancestors have formed
There is no corruption left in my soul - only

Peace.