Desire

Summary

The poem "Desire" explores the all-consuming nature of human desire and its impact on the psyche.

Abstract

"Desire" is a contemplative poem that delves into the paradoxical essence of human longing. It personifies desire as an uninvited yet irresistible force that manipulates the mind, rendering it irrational and fixated on the unattainable. The poem describes how desire transforms what one has into something unseen and elevates the unattained to an object of obsession. It acknowledges the pain and neglect that come with the pursuit of desire, yet also the insatiable hunger it leaves in its wake. The speaker reflects on the pervasive nature of desire in human existence, aspiring to one day overcome its control and achieve a state of freedom from its chains.

Opinions

Desire is portrayed as a manipulative force that can lead to irrational thoughts and behaviors.
The poem suggests that the presence of desire can devalue what one currently possesses.
It conveys a sense of warning about the pursuit of desire, which can lead to self-neglect and pain.
The speaker expresses a deep yearning to master and be free from the control of desire.
There is an acknowledgment of the ubiquity of desire in various forms, such as the desire to touch, see, win, love, and overcome.
The poem reflects an aspiration to transcend the basic human desires, including the fundamental need to breathe, to achieve true liberation.

A poem

To touch your lips to smell your skin to hold you close to feel you within– tell me, wretched desire how do you manifestly manipulate the mind so?

Your unsolicited arrival heralds feelings that were hitherto unwanted the more apparent you are the more irrational my thoughts become

what didn’t exist becomes imperative what exists, redundant

what I already have is unsightly for I have now gotten a glimpse of you - a shiny, alluring, inviting you

in your pursuit I’m unmindful of the pain that awaits, utterly neglectful of my own self for when I own you you evaporate into ether

I’m left bereft yearning and burning sleepless and relentless for owning you is now not enough there is more I want of you there is much more my mind thinks I need from you

desire you despicable turncoat pervasive as you may be principal to human existence some day I shall master you some day I’ll stop seeking you

the desire to own the desire to touch the desire to see the desire to win the desire to love the desire to overcome the desire to breathe some day you’ll not cage me some day I’ll be free