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Alchemy

Posted Sep 4, 2025 · 32 lines · 2 critiques

5 years old playing, living, just being.
Someone speaks.
The child gathers some mud to cover part of his smile but it doesn’t last
Someone else just points from afar.
He carefully shapes clay to cover his mouth, at first.
Someone shouts
More clay to his eyes from curious to calm, attentive
someone comments,
someone shuns,
someone pulls away
His clay mask is complete, unassuming, void emotions.
His teens come but now it is a clay suit of armor, nothing can get in, or out.
No design is forever, and this one was incapable of adding or shaping clay on itself
Clay hardens like terracotta

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Time wear on the terracotta, it cracks and breaks
Without new clay, only dust and bits of the armor are available to work
He tests and toils, finds a new repair.
Mixing his essence with dust and bits can make malleable metal.
He starts to fill the cracks to maintain the armor using the metal
Years, decades pass
Gold not only fills cracks it replaces armor that failed to protect…
From errant points, comments, whispers
The armor looks and feels grown up, it fits in everywhere and nowhere
The armor is art, shiny, well crafted, and the façade of a warrior.
But inside the he is unsparing with his energy. his efforts. towards patterns and routines
Everyone sees the armor, the movements, the actions, but not the lightless interior.
Cracks & holes forbidden, repairs necessary.
But he is safe.
He achieved the impossible.
Fabled Alchemy.
Something new from what was.
All it cost was the child.

J.T. Blackmohr’s timeline

September 2025
05 Fri

Received a critique
on Alchemy from @Lavender
"Hello, J.T., The metaphor and use of alchemy brings depth to this piece. Those years passing, the different layers of transformation. The last five lines are especially powerful. Thank you! L"
04 Thu

Posted a poem
Alchemy
"5 years old playing, living, just being."
Open thread 32 lines
July 2025
19 Sat

Anniversary
5 years of membership
July 2021
19 Mon

Anniversary
One year of membership
July 2020
28 Tue

Received a critique
on Standing in the Rain from @raj
"Thank you JT for explaining "you" in the poem.. be well..."
25 Sat

Received a critique
on Standing in the Rain from @c lynn brooks
"I noticed your style of writing is to use short abrupt sentences perhaps though in line one you might consider adding with "in a field with no cover in sight" that is the only suggestion I have as you asked for moderate…"
24 Fri

Posted a poem
Standing in the Rain
"In a field no cover in sight,"
Open thread 29 lines
19 Sun

First publication
Creepy Crawly
19 Sun

Posted a poem
Creepy Crawly
"All the thoughts that come and go"
Open thread 14 lines
19 Sun

Joined Neopoet
Membership begins

First poem published 1 days later.

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Alchemy

Standing in the Rain

Creepy Crawly

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