Play

Summary

The website content is a reflective poem titled "Play," which explores the relationship between play and work, emphasizing that they are not opposites but related concepts.

Abstract

The poem "Play" delves into the dynamic interplay between the concepts of play and work, suggesting that they are not diametrically opposed but rather interconnected facets of existence. It uses vivid imagery to describe a scene that embodies the essence of play, characterized by curves, adaptability, and a captivating presence that commands attention. The poem highlights the transformative nature of play, which can shift from a state of existential lightness to one that applies pressure, indicating its multifaceted role in life. The imagery of a figure strolling, flexing, and gleaming against the backdrop of a theatre symbolizes the performative and iterative aspects of play, akin to the creative process of making and breaking to innovate. The poem was crafted during a Poetry Writing class in the Spring of 2020, with an intent to write an 'opposite' poem, leading to the realization that play is not the antithesis of work but exists in a symbiotic relationship with it.

Opinions

The poem suggests that play is not merely a leisure activity but a significant and transformative experience.
Play and work are presented as interrelated, challenging the conventional dichotomy between the two.
The poem implies that the act of creation, much like play, involves cycles of building and dismantling.
The author reflects on the creative process, indicating that the genesis of a new concept (like the poem "Play") can arise from exploring the perceived opposite of an existing idea (the poem "Work").
There is an underlying appreciation for the complexity of play, which can embody both freedom and constraint

A poem.

It displays its curves in weight, it is all curves. Plus every time it thinks you’ve forgotten

it long enough, can’t discriminate existential lightness from what applies pressure all over,

it changes: the fat Flits forward, Leaps into its moment

And sharply parks before the final hour. Strolling shapely all along the red carpet (the temptation to keep

making what we break to keep breaking) its fleshy legs lift and descend,

flexible cartilage; it gleams leaning against the soft weight of the theatre.

Play. A poem. Image by Carabo Spain from Pixabay

This poem was written during my Poetry Writing class in the Spring of 2020. We were told to write an ‘opposite’ poem. The name of the original poem is Work.

Play is not the opposite of Work. They are simply related.