Hourglass
By Caitlin S.
Life is like an hourglass
Where I’m not looking from the outside in
Rather I’m sealed inside as each grain steals my laboured breathes from my lungs
Drowning me, suffocating me, silencing me
The sand pelleting my skin cannot mask the millions of piercing stares that are cast upon me
They all watch with supportive discouragement
As I like a half-dead fish writhe along the shore line
Only to be dragged back into the triumphant sea
I hear my cries slowly fading
The muted thumps of my bloodied and bruised fists
That bashed against my crystal walls of impurity cease
My quivering hand travels forward as your curious eyes fuels my depleting fighting spirit
As my last act of defiance my nails claw against the sleek surface
Engraving my final words into the glass
Take my knowledge oh accepted one
And bring it into your world as the Greeks did with their horse
Give it a voice
Because what use is a message if it lacks one
Your time starts now, the downpour is upon you,
The onslaught of expectations and pressure to conform will begin to consume you
Spread these words, break the painted arcadias
And maybe one-day no one will have to be trapped in their own hourglasses at all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFfL9gzqAbw
Rational
“Hourglass” Caitlin S. questions why people feel the need to conform to society and its expectation as well as what motivates them in the face of despair and oppression. Caitlin uses an Hourglass as a metaphor to express the ever growing burden that forms when defying society’s norms. She is able to incorporate two very different tones in her poem. The first few stanzas give off a sense of helplessness and despair. One part even alludes to the poem Ghost of a Chance by Adrienne Rich which mirrors the theme of defeat and loss of hope. The tone is then shifted to a more hopeful one for the last 2 stanzas. This time, Caitlin alludes the poem Praxis by Sharon Thesen. The two pieces end on an inspirational note, explaining that not all is lost. That the message, the promise of change for the better is still in reach, but it is up to us as members of society to act upon it.
Caitlin – your poem is powerful! It’s a great theme that you explored! Well done. The hyperlink connection is perfect and your rationale captures the poem effectively. One suggestion I might give when writing a poem is to give it some punctuation, which can give the poem that extra measure of meaning as your performance did.