HappyBuddha Posted April 30, 2004 Report Posted April 30, 2004 (edited) Medication pretty little faeries, blue and white I slip them out of their jaded bottle and they slide across the counter blank faces silhouetted against my hungry eyes It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten of this flesh they wait impatiently as I find a cup, longing to forgive my trespasses the glass is heavy now, but not as heavy as they are I’ve never needed so many faeries Concentrate – this cup wants to shake out of my hands they answer my prayers, the host is washed down my throat leaves a bitter taste behind an emptiness where my soul was [Author's Note: This poem is quite a bit more complex than the normal Pen poem - not necessarily better, just more complex. I would advise re-reading it, and seeing if any of the language seems familiar. I would highly encourage discussion on this thread to try to find the topic...in a few days I'll explain it in great detail. I think it would be really cool to get a group discussion of sorts on this, because discussion is definitely needed to unlock this poem's message or even make a good guess at it. To those who I discussed this poem with on IRC: Mum's the word, but feel free to drop hints. Just think of this as a contest, one that tests you're poem-deciphering rather than your poem-composing abilities! Edit: Oops! Those lines were supposed to be italicized, not underlined. I'm such a goof Edited May 2, 2004 by HappyBuddha
Katzaniel Posted April 30, 2004 Report Posted April 30, 2004 Well, as for familiar language, I think you're referring to the lines "eaten of this flesh" and "forgive my trespasses", possibly among others. These lines buried in the poem made me think that the meaning was more related to spiritual cleansing than physical. So, in my interpretation, the speaker of the poem has committed some deep sin - I might even venture to guess a sexual sin from the line "blank faces silhouetted against my hungry eyes" - and wants forgiveness. I think the fairies are "heavy" from sorrow, perhaps because the prayers are delayed? The part that disagrees with this interpretation (at least I can't find a way to make it fit) is that they "leave a bitter taste behind". Why is his soul the worse for wear afterward? Perhaps he's prayed to the wrong god, or even to the devil? I won't ask HappyBuddha how close I am just yet... how close does everyone else think I am?
Wyvern Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 As I mentioned before, HappyBuddha, I think that this is a very well written poem. I really like the originality of the subject matter in your poetry, and the metaphor of swallowing faeries depicted in this poem is a very good example of your original approach. I won't touch upon my interpretation of the themes of this poem since you've already explained them to me, but would advise those who wish to interpret it to look at the title of the poem in relation to the metaphor of faeries set throughout it. There was one thing that I found kind of irrelevent when reading this poem, which was the underlining of the second and fourth stanzas. The underlining of these stanzas confused me a bit, and I think that it isn't really needed since giving the lines stanzas of their own already places an emphasis on them. Very well done!
Merelas Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 Hm. Well, I really have no idea, so I'll venture a guess. The speaker is diabetic, hence the shaking, and he takes the pills (faeries) to feel better, but they don't taste good because they started to dissolve in his mouth before he swallowed. Anyways, I liked it a lot, it really made me think. Well done, buddy (another play on buddha! hooray!)!
HappyBuddha Posted May 4, 2004 Author Report Posted May 4, 2004 (edited) The responses to this poem were very interesting, and exceeded my expectations in many ways. Katz did very well in recognizing the religious symbolism/language that is woven throughout the poem, but she failed to make the connection to pills which Merelas made. Speaking of which, Merelas did well in spotting that they were pills, but he's too optimistic in assuming its a disease . Wyvern is absolutely right in stressing the title's connection to the "faeries" - the faeries are supposed to be pills. Katz definitely hit the closest, but because she missed the physical realm that was also dealt with, she wasn't able to weave the two together, the intended course of the poem. This poem is about an overdose - thus the "personal tragedy" that prompted this poem (A friend overdosed...). The spiritual metaphor is meant to put a slightly spiritual tone on the act of overdosing, to aptly describe what the subject wants in overdosing; namingly, absolution from the pains that he/she has endured. I think spotting the religious metaphor is easier if you're Catholic (or have been raised Catholic, or at least gone to Catholic school or some such), because a lot of the language feels like the stuff that was emphasized when I was doing all of that ("host", etc.) The subject's desire to take the pills is almost spiritual, and I made the language purposefully so to emphasize the quasi-spiritual nature of the act. The point of the poem is that the subject does not get the intended reconciliation and healing, but rather a disturbing hollowness inside and a painful taste. The emptiness in the soul is the conclusion of the religious metaphor, showing how pills won't erase your pain, only destroy your being. Another sub-topic dealt with is the subject's resolve; the language of the main stanzas is pretty confident, with nothing but silent anticipation noted. The second italicized line is what really belies the subject's feelings, however; "this cup wants to shake out of my hands" is meant to a) betray how the subject is in fact nervous about this, but won't admit it to him/herself, and show how the subject transfers the blame to the cup, trying to censure his/her own actions. That's pretty much all, feel free to give me a whatever level response you want to this explanation! Edited May 4, 2004 by HappyBuddha
purple_shadows Posted May 5, 2004 Report Posted May 5, 2004 I very much enjoyed this poem, and while I figured it was about drugs, i didn't realize that it was about overdosing. I loved the visuals it gave of swallowing fairies. While reading this I imagined several little fairies tumbling out of a bottle and struggling as they were put into the subjects mouth and then swallowed. It was kinda fun in a sick and twisted way.... Anyway, thanks for writting it, it was a good read.
Katzaniel Posted May 5, 2004 Report Posted May 5, 2004 I also enjoyed it, and enjoy it all the more with the added explanation, which fits much better than my original understanding. I still don't quite get all of it, though. The meaning of this line eludes me: It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten of this flesh Has the person tried to overdose before? Or is it, like my first interpretation, referring to the time since they last prayed, or felt whole? Thanks for this piece. I look forward to seeing more from you.
Merelas Posted May 5, 2004 Report Posted May 5, 2004 Hmmm... This reminds me of the last supper, where Jesus declared the bread to be his body... flesh... body... flesh... body... Maybe not. But after Buddha put it in religious context and said all that, And Katz asked that question, it sounded to me as though it was indeed a "last supper." One of the saddest realities of life. People have the right to make their own choices, but when should that right be denied in their own interests? Good poem, good discussion.
HappyBuddha Posted May 6, 2004 Author Report Posted May 6, 2004 Katz: I would say that line is intended to signal that this person has overdosed before - but the line "I've never needed so many faeries" signals that this time s/he is doing more pills than s/he has ever done before. Merelas: While the language was consciously drawn from the last supper in order to alert readers to the religious imagery and its implactions, I never thought of this being an actual last supper - but now that you brought it up I do indeed like ! Before I hadn't seen the subject as actually dying, but upon reconsidering it does seem to fit better - all I'd need to do is adjust the last two lines, probably to something such as: leaving a bitter taste and an empty soul
Merelas Posted May 6, 2004 Report Posted May 6, 2004 Hmm. Well, maybe it was a subconscious thing... and I just made your conscsious realize it Very buddha-licious.
Yui-chan Posted May 11, 2004 Report Posted May 11, 2004 Um... I don't suppose anyone will believe me if I say I got it all along but just didn't get the chance to post anything up? ;; Well, really... I was very pleased to be able to see what you were doing with this, Buddha, and I really enjoyed the poem because of that dual nature and the hidden meaning you put in it. I am very fond of subtle poetry, as I think that's a large part of the art of wordcrafting that makes the genre so fascinating. Thank you very much for the challenge, and great work on the poem. I'm glad I got to read it. Yours, ~Yui
Ayshela Posted May 11, 2004 Report Posted May 11, 2004 oh, i'd believe it.. because i got it, but refused to post on it, because i despise and resent the "here you go, do you think you're smart enough to figure this out?" tone of it.
HappyBuddha Posted May 17, 2004 Author Report Posted May 17, 2004 HappyBuddha does a Peredhil, and refuses to acknowledge X's sarcasm/bitterness, returning his hug and replying with expressions of much thanks for X's flattery As for Yui, of course I believe you - I might not believe Aegon, but I believe you Ayshela: Ach, I honestly didn't mean to have that tone, but reading back through it I can see why you might interpret it as such. My excuses are that a) I'd just tested it on 4 Pen members, and none of them had gotten it fully, so I figured it was pretty tough, By that time it was 2 AM, and I'm hardly coherent at such an hour...oh, and c) I certainly wouldn't have gotten it, if someone else had written it . Meager defense, I know - I'm sorry I came across as such.
Falcon2001 Posted May 17, 2004 Report Posted May 17, 2004 Yeah, very excellent poem, especially from someone who doesn't consider poetry his 'forte' - the web proxy has been blocked at my school so I figured that I'd get in some valuable commenting time while I could. I also thought that it was about overdosing and drugs, though I didn't catch it in time to post it to do anything cool. Excellent poem again!
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