Summary

The poem "Punishment Post Speech" is a reflection on the consequences of a joke gone awry, leading to a profound personal crisis and confrontation with the self and the divine.

Abstract

The poem narrates the experience of an individual who made a joke that was taken offense to by the public, resulting in a severe backlash. The speaker initially hides from the world, only to be confronted by the "ghouls" who demand more from him. He retreats to his "Tongva shore," a place of personal reflection, where he grapples with his relationship with God and the consequences of his actions. The poem delves into themes of punishment, redemption, and the struggle to understand one's place in the world. The speaker encounters a devil-like figure and a mysterious book that reveals disturbing images, leading to a moment of self-realization and a plea for peace as he reflects on the "Seven Hundred Seas." The poem concludes with the speaker seeking redemption and a return to a state of grace, symbolized by the Tongva shore.

Opinions

The speaker believes their joke was innocuous, viewing it as "just a joke."
The public's reaction is portrayed as an overreaction, akin to a mob mentality.
The speaker feels misunderstood and isolated, seeking solace in a personal sanctuary.
There is a sense of regret and a desire to atone for the joke that caused offense.
The speaker's relationship with the divine is complex and tumultuous, described as "odd flings."
The poem suggests that the speaker's true self is hidden, referred to as the "Master in Disguise."
The confrontation with the devil-like figure and the mysterious book symbolizes an inner struggle and moral reckoning.
The poem conveys a yearning for purity and peace, contrasting with the violence and chaos of the world.
The speaker acknowledges the gravity of their actions, recognizing that "Just a joke" is no longer a sufficient excuse.
The Tongva shore represents a place of introspection and potential redemption for the speaker.

Punishment Post Speech — poem

It was just a joke!

When the world takes offense, they bring the mobs in their defense

It was a joke I made, beneath me

Just a joke! Some evil words; breathe me

And my fellows here bequeathed me their melodic sensory sores

So I hid for them to find me

Out of sight, they soft and kindly,

(Kidding!) Cruelly, they bestowed upon my regal Tongva shore

Spoken here is what occurred as they set feet upon my shore:

“More!” they cried, “We want more!”

But, “Nevermore!” my response to the lurking ghouls

Evil words muttered; they flock as fools

Ecstasy in the overdose makes it like I want to drool

But I am what is me, ho! — Setting eyes on that sea

Never even noticing all the happiness it brings

God's and my relationship is a mixture of odd flings

But the oddest oddity is in our song, the things He sings

Released in treasures and a few jewels

Sharpened to kill jaded time

But why upon my watch can I unmask the Master in Disguise?

Glowing with his scintillation, boasting a glorified demise

Of a younger version of Yours Truly —

Battered and chastised

But what you guys have yet to see

And ladies too, believe you, me

Is my body blessed and clean

For that sight will never be — So,

On a never-ending flow of crust

The blood lust leaks below

And, ho! — Among the canopies

Restless nights appease, I rest

Staring at the Seven Hundred Seas and the glory our Master brings

But no! I made one stupid joke

Shorelines broke; they threw me in the den

Stripped of all possessions but a book to browse my sins ...

“What is it?” I dreamed, muttering near the Tongva shore

And I heard a voice close to the floor —

Though I wasn't sure —

So I implored, “Dear, My Devil,

Deprived of good or cursed of evil —

You can tempt until I'm senile but please, stay there on the floor”

Thus I gathered all my reason

Flung it at this earthly demon

That was when the fun had begun in the red brewed on that ground

On my person, one book found

That on every page was gowned a woman lying

— In shrowds of blood

The image shocked, I shut the book

Somberness filled up the air

Until I took this second look down at the cover —

Still, there was a man drawn there …

A scary shape, simple and plain

I bellowed, “Please do not crowd me,

Empty souls,” and then I bowed

(In the minute) Was endowed

To save the beast, the very beast caught staring, lifeless, back at me

Pluck me from this filthy scion —

Deathly wolf or fearsome lion —

No longer sat so high on pedestals of night or day

Eyes shut tight, slightly deceased

Locked in fear I heard the beast!

From the Other Side, I cannot lie —

What I want to say, my dears,

“My Devil, happiness you wear,

Although courting me's no fair when I'm alone within this lair like this”

Then I stared upon his bliss

“Stop it, Master, I can't hide!”

From this pity, he'd abide —

“Child, you know I cannot stride with this deception that you show”

Thus spoke my devil once more

Upon our book, eyes glossed in crimson

Aching hard but not quite lonesome as the countless nights before

So I stood there, bleeding from my chest

Torturous taunting at its best

And I would bet all the rest within me

Spilled out on my dungeon’s floor ...

So I laid there on the floor

— Bleeding, impaled — and implored

Till death came, I found a door

That opened like the proverbial book

There, that same man on the cover

Not rock, hip hop, pop, or “other”

I just peered this manly hunter

Literature eating, raw, my flesh

As I bled I croaked, was through!

Crying to my feet anew

Thinking, “Am I the biggest fool?

When gods die, there is no rule”

As my body falls again

I emerge within the den

All around the world would whirl

Remnants of destiny’s manifests

Sent to suffer for my errors

“Just a joke” no longer serves

Skin soaked; sights on a skyward curve —

On the run upstairs to heaven

View the Blood Book I was given

And I pray for peace as I look out across that Tongva shore —

Gathering up my loose cells spilt with eyes on the Tongva shore.

***

The Tongva are one of the original peoples of Southern California