Senseless – 21st July 2025

~ shaun tenzenmen

At first, it was my taste buds failing
A slow decline over a decade or so
Along with all the aches and ailing
I was glad this was the first to go

Soon followed by the loss of smell
Where previously I’d been like a dog
Pretty soon I was unable to tell
The difference between flower and bog

Then one day the eyes started aching
And a darkness began to take hold
No difference between sleep and waking
Faculties failing uncontrolled

I was happy to still have my ears
Until they too started to fade
Hearing no music, my biggest of fears
But I guess that’s just how I was made

Finally, I lost my sense of touch
No way to tell what I could feel
It’s all become way too much
Even my emotions no longer seem real

So, without any of my senses
Why does this body persist?
No more past, present and future tenses
How can I know that I even exist?

13 thoughts on “Senseless – 21st July 2025”

  2. Shaun a poignant exploration of sensory deprivation and the self. It reminds me of ‘The Ship of Theseus’ paradox – if you strip away every way a human interacts with the world, what is actually left?Brilliant 🙌

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  3. Your poem reminds me of ‘One’ by Metallica, Shaun, and the World War I soldier who was severely wounded by a landmine, with no limbs, no face, no voice, and is trapped in what is left of his body.

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