“But it was the rats that terrified him. The white-hot fear of the rats drove him on, and he scrambled up onto the plank, pushing himself against the wall.”
“The rats were his greatest fear, the one thing that could break him, and the Party knew it. They had found his weakness and were using it against him.”
George Orwell – 1984
Yes,
Your smile
Has that magic
Power
On me
To heal
The fibre
Of my soul
You don’t believe
In such phoney
Invocations
But here’s
The truth
Hear, hear
I was sick
For weeks
Instead of
Victory
I suffered
Diarrhoea
Vomitting
Any food
And any words
Of encouragement
And consolation
And hope
Was dripping
Out of my heart
At the scariest
Of rates
But I said
To a friend
“She smiled
At me today
I will get
Through this”
And I did
I had to face
My biggest fear
Just like
“Winston’s rats”
That would always be
My Dunkirk
Until finally
I had to
Stand up
To that challenge
And I walked
In there
With your smile
As my shield
The smile
You left me
With
The night
Before.
I have to stoop
Everyday
And humble myself
Here
And it’s neither me
Not for me
To be commanded
Instead of
Taking the lead
And I accept
And tolerate
When I could do …
Different
But I need to be
Here
In order to
See You
I’m enslaved
And I can only
Bear that yoke
For you
For your smile
You don’t smile
A lot
I understand
You’re busy
You’re stressed
Sometimes
You’re tired
Or pre-occupied
By other stories
In your mind
And that's OK
I still want
Your presence though
In any state
In any mood
Still more
I crave
You
But I’m in pain
Again
Literal
And metaphorical
“Buy one get one free”
Kind of deal
As it happens
To old blokes
So I need You
And I need
Your smile
More than
Anything
In my life
A beautiful song in beautiful interpretation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py60E_EvlcY