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“What do you want out of life?”
“Big to small?
“Big to small?
In the end, I want to feel like
I found my nature and fed it;
I found my nature and fed it;
I want to have that fullness
in my chest when I fade away.
in my chest when I fade away.
And I want to be a good teacher.
Better than what is appreciated – I want to be near impossible –
I want to catch every small twitch &
spark a learner brings or slips out
and set the air quick with thinking.
I want to have a dog in my pack.
I like most all the ones I've met –
I'd like to have one who walks
with me, not by me. My dog,
And me his person.
I want to kiss you, if that
other guy wanders far enough
afield. If you smile at me
Just right, I want to jump
into that space and fill it up.
I want to get home tonight
Without any injury, easily,
Warm and dream distantly
of all these things
and breathe out.”
*Thanks Edward Weston (cabbage arc, 1931), Jessica P. (street lights), Cynthia H. (More Trees Less Assholes), Education 125 (teacher-ing), David K. (girl with a smile, a mango, and a book – Panama train), & Army of Darkness (“Hail to the king, baby”) for making this collage full.
ReplyDelete(Army of Darkness is deeper than just farce. It is the story of a man finding what he wants out of life – not what he wants to DO, but the underlying PASSION that drives him toward what he wants to do … that makes the difference between a resigned repetition of “Shop smart, shop S-mart” {the beginning} and “Hail to the king, baby” {the end}. Same S-mart uniform, different mindset. - 4 April 2013)
Again, I loved this poem. What initially drew me in, was the structure of the poem and how the font size goes large to small to represent what you want in life. However, to me, it seems to be that the more important, the more desired things are at the bottom in the smaller font. The smaller font then connotes the idea that the dreams are harder to reach and therefore less focuses on because they are recognized that they are harder to reach. Recognizing this, then the goals at the bottom of the poem are seen with a sort of sadness, almost as if (with an understanding that they will be hard to reach) that they are pushed to the side but a part of you - a small part- still hopes to achieve them.
ReplyDeleteHowever, looking at the poem from another perspective, I interpret it as the dreams in the larger font are more specific to you and dreams that solely you aspire to, but as the reader goes further down the poem, as the font gets smaller, the dreams become more general and these dreams are ones that everyone should aspire to have. For example, everyone should just be happy that they have a home to go back to and that they are still alive (breathing in and out) because these are simple virtues that people overlook and forget that not everyone is as lucky to have these, what most consider, basic necessities.
Additionally, I really connected to this poem because a lot of the things that the speaker wants out of life, I do as well. My favorite relatable dream was having a dog because i've wanted one my entire life, but i have also wanted someone who is solely my best friend and main, loyal supporter which i think dogs represent.
Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts with us,
Nikki
I agree with Nikki in that my attention was mainly grabbed by the transition of text from large to small. I also thought it was very interesting that you began the poem by posing the question: "What do you want out of life?", then following it with a second, "Big to small?"
ReplyDeleteTo me, it seemed that the structure of the poem gave the words movement, like breath from the "breathing out" referred to at the end. The big dreams in life are often the furthest away while also the most aspired after, and thus, it is the first goal that is spoken. As the reader descends with the text of the poem, the wants of the speaker becomes more simple and immediate. The wants go from fulfillment in life to companionship and appreciation to the more simple needs of love and security. Like the speaker, the reader is brought down from contemplating the big dreams to admitting the small ones.
I really really enjoyed this poem. It brings to mind that everyone's lives are guided by a set of dreams and needs, big to small. And no matter what they are, if they are similar or different, achieving these wants are what make our lives worth it in the end.
Yah-- I usually don't play with the font-size, but this one called for it. Ironically, I think when people look at big dreams, it makes us seem more separate from one another (there are lots of cat-people with no interest in teaching), but when you get down to the little stuff ... that's when it's hard to deny that we're all in the same boat (who doesn't want to be loved, and feel safe, and fade to sleep with hopeful dreams in behind their eyelids?).
DeleteI can relate to this poem. I think it is amazing how the poem starts out so simple and broad by asking what you want out of life. Then, it gets more specific by stating the speaker wants to be "a good teacher" and then back to so simple by just wanting to get home safely "without any injury." My interpretation of this poem was that there are things in life that are simple and complicated, hence the font size and due to this, people base their goals. For example, the speaker really wants to kiss a girl but only if the "other guy wanders far enough/afield. If you smile at me/ Just right." To me, it seems like this goal is almost unattainable because it seems like this girl that the reader likes is taken by another man, therefore, the font, or the goal in his life is very slim. However, having the simple ending stating that the speaker just wants to get into bed and get "warm and dream distantly / of all these things / and breathe out," to me symbolizes that with every day comes another time for hope even if these dreams are small. I really like this poem because I always set goals for myself, since that is the way that I get tasks done, so to interpret this poem (even though it might not be the message that you were trying to convey) was very meaningful because it made me realize that there are small goals and big goals, and even if they are not attainable, one can still hope and dream in order to get them closer to the goal they want to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteI think most people do set goals for themselves ... people who don't have goals are -- I believe the clinical term is -- depressed.
DeleteIf kissing the girl seems a somewhat unattainable goal because of the "slim" font ... what would that mean for his chances of sleeping? ("What do you want out of life?" / "Big to small?...)
I took the font of this poem quite literally. I interpreted the larger fonts as broad, basic goals and dreams that everyone has. I don't mean to say that they are unattainable, but rather they are simple despite the fact that they may seem large and impossible to achieve. These are usually what everyone thinks they want to begin with - the feeling of completion in life. I interpreted the smaller fonts as it is - the smaller things in life, like having a good rest or kissing someone, as opposed to having a life full of fulfillment and satisfaction. The smaller goals are less daunting to anyone than the things mentioned at the start of the poem. What I took from this writing is that the smaller things in life measure up to be more important or more heavy, since at the end of the day, they are what determine fulfillment and satisfaction. Everyone wants to have the bigger things in life, but not everyone realizes that the smaller things are what outweigh everything else in life, or at least everything you thought you wanted.
ReplyDeleteI like how the poem starts with a rhetorical question because it instantly makes the reader think about their own answer and they become invested in the answer. I like the process and sequential order to the aspirations of the person. I think it is interesting how the first and primary goal of the person is very philosophical and the goals become increasingly mundane and basic. I think reading from the bottom would be the order that the answerer would want to approach these goals but person answers with the least immediate goal at the beginning. It is cool that he or she can concentrate his or her own mind and avoid the most human and predictable thing: answering the question with the most relevant and materialistic answer at the beginning that is most needed most proximately (money, new shoes, etc.). It genuinely resides with me that someone could have thought about the big picture and be that ambitious to address a profound philosophy.
ReplyDeleteJust seeing that in the poem speaks to your great potential to make the most of your life :)
DeleteMost people in this world do not appreciate the small details in life that ultimately make their life better. To me, with the use of the font getting smaller and smaller, represents and depicts the need to pay attention to these small memories and goals people want to accomplish before their time is up as in wanting . Some may want “to be a good teacher” or just simple to “get home tonight.” If one lives simply, they will live a fulfilled and happy life. To me, it is interesting how the last line of the poem is “and breathe out.” I think this is interesting because all these small details in life are really the things that are keeping us living and happy. My parents have always taught me to live in the moment, and to understand that there is a reason for everything, so I understand what I should appreciate in life. I think in order to live an enjoyable life, one needs to live by the lessons of the poem.
ReplyDeleteThe poem identifies the dreams and aspirations people have in life and how passionate they are about them. The different sized fonts of this poem caught my attention because, to me, it shows the importance of each dream or desire and how much space it takes up in the speaker’s life. The first line of the poem is the question “What do you want out of life?”, which is a broad question that can lead to the speaker saying anything in the poem. The question is followed by the statement “Big to small…”, which shows the playfulness between the speaker’s thoughts and the physical look of the poem when the speaker is describing what he wants in life. Like my own dreams and aspirations, my biggest dreams are the ones that speak the loudest inside my head, like the bigger fonts which speak the loudest in the poem and have the most prominence. As the poem continues, the speaker’s desires are less extravagant and focus on the day to day aspirations that the speaker wishes to have. The different sized fonts also show the tone of the poem and maybe the safety or security the person feels in order to succeed in their dreams and aspirations.
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DeleteWell-read. What are those dreams, Catelyn?... This would be a place to share, if you wanted: like the subtitle says, "...poems like listening, too."
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