Summary
The poem "Cut Back" reflects on the personal struggle with alcohol consumption and contrasts it with the perceived insensitivity of the government's austerity measures.
Abstract
"Cut Back" is a free verse poem that delves into the narrator's internal conflict surrounding their decision to reduce alcohol intake. Initially intending to take a break from drinking to feel better about themselves, the narrator becomes frustrated with their surroundings and postpones the self-imposed cutback. The poem suggests a cycle of intention and relapse, paralleling this with the government's persistent and callous cuts that ironically provoke the narrator's desire to drink. The work is credited to an author J., with appreciation expressed to Dr. Mehmet Yildiz and the Illumination team for providing a platform for the poem.
Opinions
- The narrator expresses a desire to improve their health by drinking less, indicating a recognition of the negative effects of alcohol on their body ("Let my swollen belly have a few days off being swollen").
- Frustration and external factors are personified as active agents contributing to the narrator's relapse into drinking ("However, I got pissed off again with the things around me which seemed to have fallen apart").
- There is a sense of resignation to a pattern of setting alcohol reduction goals and then cancelling them ("If I’m honest, I will find myself pissed off again and cancel the next cut back").
- The poem critiques the government's austerity policies, implying that these policies are a source of the narrator's and perhaps the public's distress ("Unlike the callous government who relentlessly keep cutting back!").
- The author, J., extends gratitude to Dr. Mehmet Yildiz and the Illumination team, acknowledging their support in publishing the poem ("Thank you Dr Mehmet Yildiz and the Illumination team for giving my words a platform here at Illumination").
