lightmelon
Junior Member
Don't swallow the seeds! You'll asplode!
Posts: 95
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Post by lightmelon on Sept 16, 2009 3:07:43 GMT -5
Look what I found on the "No Greater Joy" Ministries website (you know, the website of Michael and Debi Pearl, crazy child abuse fundies that condone beating your child with PVC pipes and other sad things, also known for the wife's books on how to be a successful 'help-meet' to a man)
*clears throat* here you go. Saddest poem I've ever read.
I believe this is one of their daughters.
Doesn't this just scream: fundie homeschooling, broken will and despair?
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Post by lonelocust on Sept 16, 2009 3:37:12 GMT -5
I find it to be impressive poetry from a 12-year-old, for realz.
Could be despair. Could be hope. The relationship between these things are so complicated, of course. Being able to express despair always leads to hope for me, but I don't know how universal that is.
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lightmelon
Junior Member
Don't swallow the seeds! You'll asplode!
Posts: 95
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Post by lightmelon on Sept 16, 2009 3:46:38 GMT -5
That last line just kinda got to me o.o; like people were telling her since she was young, all her thoughts were meaningless.....or something.
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Post by lonelocust on Sept 16, 2009 4:37:02 GMT -5
I sort of feel that too, but it's also a classic emotion from romanticist poetry to scoff at the quality of one's own expression, expressed in a very specific manner. I wouldn't suggest that romanticist poets don't tend towards sadness and despair, but I would suggest not necessarily a broken will. There's a song on my tongue/But it's stupid 'cause I'm young" to me speaks of a yearning that doesn't tell me there's a broken will under that particular despair. But I could be wrong.
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lightmelon
Junior Member
Don't swallow the seeds! You'll asplode!
Posts: 95
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Post by lightmelon on Sept 16, 2009 5:09:37 GMT -5
You have good points. I'll admit I didn't really give someone so young credit to be so tongue and cheek and clever in writing. First read it did set off alarm bells but now I'm completely rethinking my own thread here >_>a
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Post by valsa on Sept 16, 2009 14:16:22 GMT -5
Hmmm... I'm not sure how to take the poem (though there's a certain lonely loveliness to it that I like)
Here're my thoughts-
"There’s a hole in my shoe/ And my toe is coming through"
Doesn't really talk about the girl so much as perhaps her surroundings/ financially poor upbringing.
"There’s a scab on my knee/ Cause I fell so gracefully"
"There’s a patch on my eye/ Cause the ball didn't go by"
Gently poking fun at herself. Obviously, she didn't fall gracefully or she wouldn't have the scab. And she thought the ball would go by and so probably didn't try to catch it, and it definitely didn't go by and hit her (Ouch, by the way. I've had that happen and it sucks)
"There’s a song on my tongue/ But it’s stupid cause I’m young."
This is the one I'm not sure how to take. If she's being sarcastic about being too young to have a "song on [her] tongue", that makes me think she's heard the "you're too young to know anything" thing somewhere before. Now, has she heard it from her parents? Or did she hear it from outside adults (maybe she tried to preach her parents' crazy views to some other adult, who was like "Yeah. Come back and talk to me when you at least have tits" or something)?
Although, on the very first reading I thought (and it’s a view that a small, cynical part of me holds on to) that she was pointing out all the excuses she’s had to give other people for why she’s covered in scraps and bruises (ie- she fell down and skinned her knee after being hit by her parents, or the patch is covering a bruise from her parents) That makes the last line much more sad and troubling.
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Post by The Lazy One on Sept 16, 2009 14:18:32 GMT -5
Although, on the very first reading I thought (and it’s a view that a small, cynical part of me holds on to) that she was pointing out all the excuses she’s had to give other people for why she’s covered in scraps and bruises (ie- she fell down and skinned her knee after being hit by her parents, or the patch is covering a bruise from her parents) That makes the last line much more sad and troubling. That's what I thought when I read it. Her parents are the same fuckers who advocate beating your kids with PVC pipe- it wouldn't surprise me if she's had to come up with excuses for her wounds before. |
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Post by DeadpanDoubter on Sept 16, 2009 14:32:15 GMT -5
Yeuck. That's all I can think of to say about the Pearls, and their now-grown sons and daughters: yeuck. I used to look up to Mike and Debi, and once considered writing to Mike about some personal issues I was going through. Thank gods my teenaged stubborness said "fuck no it's not like that guy will understand"...
Off-topic, but please, tell me I'm not the only one who looked at this article description and went "Bwuh?"...
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lightmelon
Junior Member
Don't swallow the seeds! You'll asplode!
Posts: 95
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Post by lightmelon on Sept 16, 2009 21:12:38 GMT -5
Although, on the very first reading I thought (and it’s a view that a small, cynical part of me holds on to) that she was pointing out all the excuses she’s had to give other people for why she’s covered in scraps and bruises (ie- she fell down and skinned her knee after being hit by her parents, or the patch is covering a bruise from her parents) That makes the last line much more sad and troubling. That was the first thing that I thought when I read it and was the reason that I made this thread. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if our cynicism was right. These people scare me, they are sending us straight back to the 15th century and just...argh. PVC PIPES. |
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Post by Rat Of Steel on Sept 16, 2009 23:22:47 GMT -5
Although, on the very first reading I thought (and it’s a view that a small, cynical part of me holds on to) that she was pointing out all the excuses she’s had to give other people for why she’s covered in scraps and bruises (ie- she fell down and skinned her knee after being hit by her parents, or the patch is covering a bruise from her parents) That makes the last line much more sad and troubling. That was the first thing that I thought when I read it and was the reason that I made this thread. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if our cynicism was right. These people scare me, they are sending us straight back to the 15th century and just...argh. PVC PIPES. While a large part of the beauty of poetry is the way it often leaves itself open to interpretation, domestic abuse wouldn't explain her worn-out shoe. |
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Post by Amaranth on Sept 18, 2009 12:30:26 GMT -5
While a large part of the beauty of poetry is the way it often leaves itself open to interpretation, domestic abuse wouldn't explain her worn-out shoe. Neglect could be another symptom, though. I actually don't think it is about domestic abuse, mind. I took it as tongue in cheek myself, but it's easy to see a real sad pattern here. |
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Post by Undecided on Sept 20, 2009 10:59:36 GMT -5
I would like to remind you all that results derived from literary criticism are tenuous, at best, and reflect the mindset and biases of the critic. She might just have been having a sad day when she wrote the poem. Or she might be writing for somebody else. But really, there is quite a bit of depth to be had from this poem, and I think she ought to continue writing.
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