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That, in a “Split-Pea Soup,” every 'pea' is 'the Pea'—
Then our own words, like webs, start popping loose from corners
And wrap-rolling into tight balls:
I-corner—
—You-corner
{Crumple-crumple}
We.
“I want to kill you,”
equals “...wish that I would die,”
means “...just want to start fresh
and open wide like evening sky.”
“You're a bad person,”
equals “...I know that inner feeling,”
means “...I'm running from a piece in
me that I'd feel shame revealing.”
“They're a bunch of fools,”
equals “I don't know how to merge us,”
means “I sense that we're the same at
roots but I'm stuck here at the surface.”
Once we realize enough dividing makes connection—
Everything we covet or judge the most is our reflection.
The opening statement of this poem is really interesting to me! That some things when separated from themselves enough become homogeneous is a really insightful observation. It shines a light on the idea that in order to connect with the people around us we have to introspect and “split” ourselves up. When I read this poem, I think of the way that we are told that bullies only do so because they have their own insecurities. It’s important when interacting with anyone to keep in mind that we are most likely unable to see the struggles and insecurities that they are dealing with, but I think that this poem reminds me that we also have to keep stock of the insecurities we ourselves are dealing with. The words on the right side of the poem, “I want to kill you” “you’re a bad person” and “they’re a bunch of fools” remind me more of the things that someone who is or feels like they are the victim might say, rather than the words that an abuser would say, and I think the meaning that I ultimately take from this is that we can try to empathize with other people around us, but we also have to remember to empathize with ourselves and understand that our actions are driven by our insecurities as everyone around us. That’s another interesting idea, that any advice to help us relate to each other can also be applied to ourselves, being another way to connect us. This poem kind of makes me think about the idea that our reactions to the ways that people treat us are just as much about us as they are about the actions of others. As the last line says, “Everything we covet or judge the most is our reflection”, so we can control how we respond to other people, and connect to them better, because we’re just as influenced by our insecurities as everyone else is. - Clairette L.
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