think outside the jar -------------------------------------------
pressing against the side
life running out
fireflies frantically trying to escape
their glass prison
doomed to die
children gathered
shaking the jar
trying to raise one last light out of you
sands of the hourglass
tossed carelessly with each turn
time running out
turned over again
and again
and again
and again
lifeless
carcasses strewn about
the children mourn
not because of the lost life
but because of the lost entertainment
don't worry, it is only a passing sadness.
a discarded toy.
a light extinguished.
Wow I like this one. I think humans care about entertainment more then life. I like the concept in this poem. Very good write. Hope to read more from you.
Yeah. I liked this one. It was good and interesting. What I found interesting is your use of children. Children are the most affected by our decisions and choices. A parent trapped by their own pasts, fears, misgivings can cause their own children to become trapped too. Great Write
When I was little we used to catch them in our hands admire them then let them go. I though Knocking one last light out of you could have been an interesting way to word it aslo not that there is anything wrong with you wording already. Perhaps in the beggining pressed might fit better the press? And about that second stanza it feels undefined and is almost void of imagery I imagine; from reading it through while consciously omitting that line, it reads just as well without it. peace
When I was younger, my grandfather used to drag me along on his back and forth plane trips. My friend, not wanting me to leave during weekends, used to scare me by saying that his dad works at the airport and that every plane is a mere blip in their radar. 50 or so people = one insignificant blip that can get easily lost, or forgotten. He is that same kid who used to catch insects every summer just to throw them out when school returns.
This piece reminds me of how small we really are. How the death of one wouldn't really stop the lives of billions. How the world will go on turning and how that life would one day be forgotten. It's a sad notion. But it's there. And poems like this help us face it... know it... and ultimately accept it.
this reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip... Calvin has caught a butterfly and he put in a jar and tells Hobbes how beautiful it is.. then Hobbes says, "If people could put rainbows in zoos, they'd do it." Calvin thinks for a while and the strip ends in Calvin releasing the butterfly to freedom.
lol. anyway. on the surface, this poem seems to tell me (like in the Calvin And Hobbes comic strip) that beauty and wonderful things in life lose their value when you contain them; it is their rarity and that fantastical quality of it which partly adds to its splendour. however, as I continue to think about this, I think the underlying message of this poem isn't just that.. perhaps on man's tendency to attain entertainment from witnessing violence, suffering or maybe torture? I say this because I noticed that you didn't really describe the quality of the fireflies; rather, the emphasis was on its frantic attempts of escape inside that jar.
I associate this tendency of man with our television culture, particularly reality TV. There's a sort of unexplainable yet undeniable attraction that it has on a lot of viewers... the 'jar', this idiot box provides us with 'entertainment' where we watch people being made fun of.. people going through suffering.. inflicted with acts of violence - this is the sort of entertainment that has shaped a huge part of our culture today. And when it ends, we're bored again... we hardly spare any time for a thought for those real people that we witness, we just grab the remote and see what's up next and if we don't like it, we'll switch the channel.
I dont know, I get the feeling that I'm way off the mark here, but that's just my interpretation of it... I think this piece is brilliant, really. do drop me a note the actual message behind this poem because I'm curious to know about it. bravo!
Omg....I absolutely love it....it's brilliant....I am like totally speechless for the first time. The comparisom was pure perfection. Check out my other comments, I rarely leave compliments and always have something to nit-pick but this is just so real. Bash it?! Seriously, or are you just bragging ? Ok, coming back to my former self, maybe it had something to do with the "God's a mean kid with a magnifying glass, and I'm the ant". Many would say the idea lacks originality, but the way it was put and compared with real life has its unique charm. I'm a person who seriously thinks she is being picked on by God also but especially by other people. The way they play and destroy other people's lives for fun is really grose and lacks sense.
Submission Name: think outside the jar
