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I feel guiltless
hating you – you back of
head; some
Chance in front of
me; one in a pox of
Men. The
Faceless, voiceless
always easiest to
condemn:
No one smells good
when I wrinkle my nose
at them.
We've never been
herds because we chew meat
like packs;
Never schools, for
we pity faces &
hate backs –
Looking over
our shoulders to be proud
& then
Looking forward
at muscle-braided spines to
defend
The balance of
our pride-by-humility.
But fast
Comes honesty:
who's more than the next is less than
the last.
This poem= high school. I love the comparison of people to packs-- not herds-- because packs hunt and are blood-thirsty. I also like how the first half of the poem comes from the singular first person who is judging another singular person. Then, when the poem reaches the curve, it shifts to "we" and "our," a group or clique with a false sense of security that judges other people. Finally, with the end of the poem "Comes honesty," and the speaker realizes that he is not invulnerable himself, becoming only a "who" that is judged by the person behind him. (I hope I am not reading too much into the semantics.)
ReplyDeleteI know you probably weren't intending for it to be about high school, but it so perfectly fits my experiences.
I don't quite understand, however, why did you choose those pictures for the collage?
Not reading too much in at all -- the first 4 stanzas are a first-person report of the reality viewed within that competitive world. The next 6 stanzas are that person reflecting more widely on everybody as a collective within that predatory social reality (whatever it may be -- high school, politics, sports, etc.).
DeleteThe three pictures that make up the collage are (1) Usain Bolt kissing his girlfriend after winning a race {the ideal -- of happiness, purpose, progress -- that so easily gets lost in the flurry of competition}, (2) a pair of children in Afghanistan {for the hungry, dog-eat-dog look in that one boy's eyes: that hard-shelled struggle to survive}, and (3) two swimmers plowing through the water {a great example of an activity that can be relaxing and immensely satisfying -- floating, gliding -- or taxing and somewhat terrifying -- flailing, gasping -- depending on whether you see it as a pleasant progress or a winner-take-all competition}.