A poem with many relevant meanings for those who have seen better days.
To People Who Despise the Sun
You cannot hide from the summer.
If you close the door behind you
And draw the blinds, even,
It will disguise itself as a bird’s song
Or a peddler’s bell that permeates your walls
And leads you to push down a fading filter
And peer out with a grim disposition.
Until the scene sears and sickens.
That is when you hurriedly withdraw
And hide yourself in the corner of a closet,
Where no sunlight ever reaches, except
In your brave visual venture, which stays
As a memory, and may trigger a bit of pain.
Eventually you will have to step out
And leave the cool, dry shadows
For the hot, humid wetness of
The inescapable that pricks your skin
And smothers you with heat.
Your swollen tongue lolls impatiently
And your limbs feel restless.
Take heart, soon the sun will have to set—
Even if it takes longer than usual.
Then you embrace the damp and the darkness
Which keep away the memories that drag.
Stay awake—scarce is a moment like this
That gives solace. Soon you will be seen outside
Celebrating the short-lived night.
*imaginary background audience sweating* Am I the only one who's fine with the weather?
ReplyDeleteEh, I'm not one for poetry, and after reading the whole thing like one long paragraph, I say it feels like a common scene. A long day in fact, as three-fourths of the whole thing is about daytime; night would end as soon as the poem. The alliterative words look good and add to catchy-ness, I guess; funny I see a lot of S's that sound like a sizzling sound--sears, sickens, smother, swollen, restless. . . .
I see yellows and oranges, I feel humidity and helplessness, I hear life that is being fled from, and myself (referring to poem, hah!) amplifying the torture.
Eh.
*laughs at Eandz from an image of her soaked in sweat*
i see. Hm, i guess it is a common scene, well, as common as it can get for people who hate the sun. Personally, I love the summer. (Ha! *bursts bubble*) But I may also be referring to people who are bitter about something that went wrong and then refusing to confront it in their heads by hiding from it. This may also be about people who are hiding a big secret and refusing to let it be known. (The word closet, see) Oh come on. It has lots of meanings! I can't believe you thought this was a superficial figurative thing!
ReplyDeletemy genius was wasted!
ReplyDelete(i sadness)
Hm, sorry, I also didn't realize that the poem had any deeper meaning o.O I think it's because of the way the scene was described, perhaps you could hint at the person's feelings more to take the focus away from the literal descriptions (i.e, 3rd stanza)? I think that's what (mis)led the reader (me) to think that the poem was just about the summer heat. Or perhaps I should just have paid more attention to your comment about the poem (A poem with many relevant meanings for those who have seen better days).
ReplyDeleteSorry that I wasted your genius x.x
But you could be wrong, too:D Baka bobo lang talaga ako magbasa, at hindi naman nasayang ang galing mo, lalo na kung natuwa ka sa pagsulat niyan, wala nang tatalo doon. (Ha! Buking na ako, laging iyon lang ang iniisip ko kapag pakiramdam ko walang may gusto sa gawa ko). Pero totoo iyon! Nothing beats you enjoying writing something. (wow, -ing 3x in succession?)
Anything can be given a meaning. I could call myself a closet and associate it with a thousand innuendos.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, I thought this was all about summer heat only. I guess your external references were too subtle, or nonexistent at all. =O
Your genius is still in its potential form, not yet wasted.
@MICH
ReplyDeleteHaha!
Actually, I was focusing more in the visual scenes that would be triggered when you read the poem. Like the reflected white glare of the sun, shades of shadows in the closet, etcetera, etcetera, chka ung thermal contrasts, like daytime vs nightttime. Hm, needs more work, I suppose. Hindi ko kasi nirevise e hahaha. Pero, ewan, dahil ako siguro ung nagsulat kaya naintindihan ko siya =p
HAHAHA. Well, it's true! Kung natuwa ka nga sa gawa mo, it's worth it in itself. HarX3
@VANNY
ReplyDeleteCloset.. closet.. isn't the popular figurative meaning for that.. a secret? Like a closet gay :/ But anyway, I don't exactly know how to fix this. Maybe I should stick with figurative art, where no one would really care much about the meaning as long as the colors are pretty. Or I could just go on churning out genius that only I can understand :3
(appreciates own potential genius by myself)
It's like using a language that only you can understand!
ReplyDeleteNow you see the upside of visual art. :D I guess when a poem rhymes too, even if it doesn't make sense, would still sound pleasing. Like Snoop Dogg--not.
*whacks with fan* Don't compliment yourself too much. You should learn to fish for it too!
*whines*
ReplyDeletealright, alright. i'll revise more next time.
hahaha >_< i despise the sun O.o
ReplyDeletereally? nuu! magkaka-vitamin D deficiency ka! Rickets!! Hahaha! :>
ReplyDeleteIt's like our friendship.
ReplyDeletehm.. kindly elaborate
ReplyDeleteYou came and acknowledged me one day when I wasn't expecting it. our days together are to be cherished until something bad happens and we get sunburnt. Then one of us would have to withdraw back to our protecting homes from unexplainable circumstances like calculus or trigonometry, which won't last as we know we'll soon find ourselves face to face again--celebrating the short-lived night.
ReplyDeleteYou came and acknowledged me one day when I wasn't expecting it. our days together are to be cherished until something bad happens and we get sunburnt. Then one of us would have to withdraw back to our protecting homes from unexplainable circumstances like calculus or trigonometry, which won't last as we know we'll soon find ourselves face to face again--celebrating the short-lived night.
ReplyDeleteYou came and acknowledged me one day when I wasn't expecting it. our days together are to be cherished until something bad happens and we get sunburnt. Then one of us would have to withdraw back to our protecting homes from unexplainable circumstances like calculus or trigonometry, which won't last as we know we'll soon find ourselves face to face again--celebrating the short-lived night.
ReplyDelete:3 :3 :3 hahahaha :D what a posolutely delightful interpretation.
ReplyDeleteAhah, a variety of interpretation could make the poem seem more profound than it was intented to be. Hooray for writers who (stay shut) open themselves to multiple points of view!
ReplyDeleteyou're really good at being abstract.
ReplyDeleteO_O
no wonder people can't see you! JINKIES! I've figgered out ze mystery!!!
XD XD XD XD