Hey everyone!
I had a lot of fun writing my "Bigger" poem so I wanted to start this post so that all of us could share our ideas, give commentary about each others poems & analyze what each of our poems means to each of us. Of course, the meaning you get may not be the same as the poet's but that's the powerful thing about a poem; that it can be interpreted is so many different ways and mean something totally different to each reader. Here is my poem. Read it. Love it. Tear it apart with your criticism. :)
BIGGER is he, who fights
Against oppression.
BIGGER are they who speak out against
Their self-inflicted frustration.
BIGGER are the numbers,
Of the victims tainted by discrimination.
The chains of human bigotry,
The locks of pure antipathy,
White are the men,
That robbed mankind of its dignity.
Inside the darkness of the shroud
My whole body, my being is devoured
By this overwhelming force
That never once felt remorse.
Black faces, with shame are blighted
Raped, and beaten for all to sight
Crying out to the heavens in rage,
Much like the bird cries from within his cage.
Against oppression.
BIGGER are they who speak out against
Their self-inflicted frustration.
BIGGER are the numbers,
Of the victims tainted by discrimination.
The chains of human bigotry,
The locks of pure antipathy,
White are the men,
That robbed mankind of its dignity.
Inside the darkness of the shroud
My whole body, my being is devoured
By this overwhelming force
That never once felt remorse.
Black faces, with shame are blighted
Raped, and beaten for all to sight
Crying out to the heavens in rage,
Much like the bird cries from within his cage.
"Inside the darkness of the shroud
ReplyDeleteMy whole body, my being is devoured.."
I like these lines :]
They make me feel.. I don't know.. chafed?
Anyways, here's my poem
Tell me what you think?
Bigger.
I thought I was bigger than I was that day
The things he did contradicted with the things he’d say
The shouting, the slurs, penetrated my eyes
I only saw the end of my demise
Verbally, skin was shredded and ripped into bi
Tears surpassed with no escape, no escape to cry
Purposely picked to pieces’, transformed into raw
Phalanges morphed into claws, hitting his jaw
Fighting, biting, there was no end
Becoming a game, I strived to win
The words became fist, too late to be saved with a kiss,
Poundafterpound, he ceased to exist
I lay here now ,internally vile
I am no bigger than I thought all the while
I submitted to my suffering binge
I no longer thirst for the need for revenge.
Lesly,
ReplyDeleteLine eight is awesome because it is both figurative and literal. Slavery against race= chains. Discrimination= well...bigotry. I love it.
Ladies,
ReplyDeleteVery powerful imagery! I question Lesly's use of "sight." Are you sacrificing word choice for rhyme? Jasmine, I don't know what "bi" is. I like the struggle going from figurative to literal/verbal to physical. I also think that the graphic that Lesly chose for these postings captures the theme.
Thanks! These will be up on the wall in room 102.
Bi is the prefix for two Ms. Hill.
ReplyDeleteFrom the first moment I read this poem, I felt its immense power, especially these two lines: "The chains of human bigotry,
ReplyDeleteThe locks of pure antipathy..."
The use of metaphors reflect the issue found within "Native Son" which is racism, and also the lack of resistance during the '30's in which this novel is based, and from what I've been learning in Contemporary History pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement, resistance was only made through the music and writing of black poets and musicians. The "chains" not only held the arms and legs of a whole black generation, but also their voices.