19 Comments
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Crybaby Cowgirl ★'s avatar

Holy shit. This is amazing and all too real (unfortunately). May we all one day be free of this worm! Until then, I’ll be sending this to my boss as my reason for calling out “sick.”

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samuel forbes's avatar

Yes! To getting rid of the worm!! 🥂

(Thanks for reading, as always.) 🙂

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jared mulhair's avatar

Sam Kafka strikes again!!! this one is an all-timer, sir. a complete story in a poem. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

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samuel forbes's avatar

Hehe. Thanks, mate, for the always encouraging feedback — even on the darker and stranger pieces. It means a lot 😁

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Poetry Tracks In Snow Holly L's avatar

I agree with jared 🤎🤎🤎

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samuel forbes's avatar

😁✨

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Nazish Nasim's avatar

I hope the worm doesn't get you. Your writing is too good to die. It'd be too soon.

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samuel forbes's avatar

Thank you, Nazish. So far, I have bested the worm! 🙂

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Marianne Daigh's avatar

It’s giving rfk

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samuel forbes's avatar

Hahah ngl Brain Worm himself was probably the subconscious inspo for this piece

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Marianne Daigh's avatar

The most revolting subjects can sometimes inspire the best writing

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Jed Moffitt's avatar

Grotesque perhaps, but a fortunate worm in many respects. It all scales up and down doesn't it Sam? We are munching and nibbling in after our own fashion and the worm... Well... Probably has its on frustrating form of neurosis ;)

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samuel forbes's avatar

Oooh, I didn’t think about it like that. I wonder what parasite has latched itself to the worm…and I wonder if it has any poetic grievances about it. 😆

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The Sea in Me    (Síodhna)'s avatar

'my body will crawl up the stairs,

ooze into my office chair, and squint,

one-eyed and insane,

against the harsh light of my laptop,

lured by the appalling possibilities

of another work day —

and a new worm will begin its terrible dance within'.

Ufff Samuel, this packs a punch. Great writing. I'm awake (to it!)

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samuel forbes's avatar

Thank you so much. Glad that passage struck a chord for you as well!!

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School of Blue's avatar

Woke up to Vermis Brutalis this morning. Laughed at the need to give it a Latin name. It does give it gravitas! I will be on the look out for my own. (Et tu, Brutalis?)

I swing between the dark and the fun. Maybe I am just weird. Really enjoyed this and have now investigated the vermis which is all biologically interesting. Where were you when I needed a decent teacher of Biology?

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samuel forbes's avatar

Haha! “Et tu, brutalis?” made me laugh 😁

I fully agree that if we did more crossovers between biology and poetry in university, both subjects would attract more engaged students. :)

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S y l v i A 🌞 K a l i n A's avatar

Ahhh. I did enjoy this…but saying I enjoyed it sounds a bit dark, doesn’t it? I guess I mean to say that this really resonates with me today. I think I’m having a case of the vermis brutalis attack as well.

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samuel forbes's avatar

Thanks for sharing, Sylvia! I wish I could say I’m glad it resonated, but vermis brutalis attacks are no fun at all. I find that writing about it can be a little cathartic. And I do really appreciate you reading and responding. 🙂

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