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You are dirt.
You are star fire.
You are everything you hate.
You are everything you desire.
You are the water you drink,
You are the tears you cry.
You are a sprout from others' deaths.
You are a single breath, blowing by.
You are a precious-held collection.
You are a generous donation.
You are the forgotten depth.
You are the awe-striking elevation.
You are imagining you owe,
You are dreaming you deserve:
You were born to take, and grow.
You are blessed to give, and serve.
I think this poem has a beautiful mood. In my opinion, the poem is putting into words the complexity of what it means to be human, and how although certain aspects of oneself or one’s experiences might seem negative, they can (and even, should) also be interpreted as beautiful — seen in a positive light. The way I see it, ‘The balance …” talks about how character can be conceptualized as an amalgamation of one’s life experiences, emotions, and beliefs; maybe, an expression (or manifestation) of things that are believed to be greater than humanity. On another note, I think the pairing with the collage adds even more meaning. I think the collage embodies a certain simplicity, and has a peaceful, calm look, and together with the poem, more so conveys an emotional contrast between opposites, like hate and desire, because of the difference between the dark and muted hues (like the green) versus light and vivid ones like the magenta and blue. After looking at it for a longer time, I get the feeling that the light and vivid colors are more in the forefront, emphasizing the positive aspects of the poem.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add more:
DeleteI think "You are a sprout from others' deaths" is a very interesting line. It makes me think of learning from others’ mistakes. Just after that, "You are a precious-held collection" adds (of course, in my opinion) a thought about how a person is made up of the many experiences, memories, and moments in their lifetime. I feel like the line, "You were born to take, and grow," communicates the sentiment that all humans deserve to take advantage of the world's opportunities, and all humans deserve to experience and "grow" from those experiences, one after another.