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No use the broken shell: a wind-
Shield split & sparkling became
A wall too blind to captain by
& wheezing with the pressure.
A slug back covered in glass – might
As well have been so – in the grass:
The mosaic gel of a snail behind
The boy who crushed his back.
A vein of brown decay crawled up
Under apple-skin red, through crisp
And white. All from a stumble-roll,
One day back, off the tree-of-life.
He covets
the abandon
of her hair
Silently, this monk,
all reservations (
A heathen
when he dreams,
but
who
Can tell?
No use
the
broken
shell).
* Thanks Julie A-G. (J-bird: can-crushed wrist), Jomeline B. (J-bird: buried alive), Cindy R. (red man on the microphone), Cristy R. (field leapers), Jerry L. (gum wall), Lindsay K. (crayon shatter), Gabriel B. (foot against the window glass), and OKC (a tear in the jeans) for making this collage full.
ReplyDeleteChris V. posted a link to “19 Medical Emergencies Only Yahoo Answers Can Help You With” on BuzzFeed, and the line-up included the following post entry:
“Open Question
Everytime i masturbate, i end up getting angry and throwing my turtle against the wall?
hes ok for now, but i dont think he can take much more :(
{9 minutes ago – 4 days left to answer}
Additional Details
Hes not in the room when i do it, i go to find him...
{4 minutes ago}”
Aaand that, as with so many startlingly honest and vivid things in this world, spurred me into imagining both the serious duties and delicate limits of a shell. Poor turtle – 1 May 2013
I believe that the poem is addressing the ironic frailty of a shell, as it is tasked with the responsibility of protection. In addition, the poem adapts this idea to the delicate nature of seemingly safe and secure religious structures.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I noticed about this poem was the unique shape of the stanzas and the spacing within the lines. Once I realized that the subject of the poem was the broken shell of a snail, I came to see the shape of a poem as the rounded zig-zag path that a snail may take when moving. In addition, I noticed that the spacing between the lines increases throughout the poem. This could reflect the image of the crack in the broken shell growing larger.
The shell is compared to glass to emphasize its fragility. The image of a “mosaic gel” vividly illustrates the scene of a slimy body covered by a shell that has been broken into many pieces. The spacing between the lines gets bigger when the subject of the poem switches to religion, conveying the heavier, more important subject matter that the poem is now addressing. The monk is “silently” reserved and hides his longing for “her”. This implies that the monk is putting on the facade of a devoted disciple, while secretly yearning for what he cannot have. I believe that the poem is paralleling the “structural integrity” of a snail’s shell to that of a religious institution. While the monk is confined by his religious structure when he is awake, he is free to fantasize of whatever he wants in his head and while he is asleep, and no one can tell. This flaw in the system compromises the idea of a man completely loyal to his religion and diminishes the principles of his profession. Therefore, just like a shell, a religious structure is fragile, and it is “no use” when it has been broken.
-Shaylyn Austin
I agree with what you were saying of the fragility of religion, and the symbolic nature of the structure. I believe that the structure offers even more than you mentioned, however. The initial structure is dense and solid. It is interrupted by the slightest crack and suddenly transformed into a much more fluid entity.
DeleteThe initial block shape reminds me of conformity and a strong foundation. Each of these could relate back to religion--centuries of tradition help to form a solid base but also construct ideals of monotony. I especially appreciate the crack, which suggests that even the slightest, most unnoticeable flaw can ultimately lead to chaos and destruction.
The dramatic shift between solidity and fluidity could also be a movement from reality to imagination. It is a fact that if a boy steps on a snail, its shell will crush, it will die, and the boy will be left with shimmering mucus on his shoe. The daydreaming monk will never be able to fulfill his desire, and is left to explore it within the depths of his mind.
Finally, I wanted to note the allusion to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The "vein of brown decay" in the apple, the forbidden fruit, follows the theme of fragility and corruption. The woman of the monk's dreams is the forbidden fruit. I initially thought that "the abandon of her hair" was a reference to Samson and Delilah, but it did not quite fit as it is a woman's hair rather than a man's. However, the idea of losing strength is present.
Thank you for this poem.
-Samantha Pinsky
Well-read. (you left the apple on the ground, though...)
DeleteIt's interesting that y'all are drawn so centrally to the image of the secretly lusting monk, Sammy: I just meant it to be the last of four images (each within one stanza) representing how a small rupture in a protective wall can lead to a profound incapacitation of intended function.
DeleteA windshield, a snail shell, an apple skin, a monk's devout silence. Guess I know now which one's the hottest topic ;)
Humans are naturally emotional creatures. The poem’s portrayal of human emotion is is very accurate. It captures emotion and explains what may be underlying it. The light hearted tone of this poem makes it enjoyable to read and more importantly, clarifies the message. People who express anger and dissatisfaction sometimes just need a kind gesture to lighten their mood. Each stanza adds another dimension to the poem as they reveal a situation where someone’s mood is lifted. The speaker’s solutions suggest that he understands the way human emotions work alone as well as how they interact with each other.
Delete"light-hearted tone"? Definitely not what I was going for
Delete...
(" A wall too blind to captain by & wheezing with the pressure. / The mosaic gel of a snail behind The boy who crushed his back./ A vein of brown decay crawled up Under apple-skin red, through crisp And white. / He covets the abandon of her hair Silently, this monk, all reservations")
...
but I'm glad you took it so positively. I should make sure to invite you to my funeral. People always take those waaay too seriously.