avatarAaron Harme

Summary

The text "Very Capable" is a contemplative poem reflecting on the complexities of understanding one's own mental state and the disconnection between elements in life.

Abstract

The poem "Very Capable" delves into the introspective challenge of assessing one's internal thoughts and feelings, likening the process to creating a collage from rain or translating into an unlearned language. It suggests a sense of impermanence and disposability, akin to a used match. The poem personifies inanimate objects like a lawn mower and fertilizer in a conversation that underscores misunderstanding and the paradox of freedom feeling like labor. It touches on the silence of an abandoned cabin and the reticence of weeds, emphasizing a pervasive sense of disconnection despite the use of lightning as a metaphor for connection. The poem concludes with a commentary on the modern trend of movies lacking resolution, mirroring the theme of unresolved thoughts and emotions.

Opinions

  • The poem suggests that evaluating one's mental state is a complex and perhaps futile endeavor, similar to engaging in impossible tasks.
  • It conveys a sense of not belonging or serving a purpose once a specific role or moment has passed.
  • The dialogue between the lawn mower and fertilizer implies that communication can be ineffective, even among things meant to complement each other.
  • The poem reflects on the idea that effort towards creativity or understanding can feel laborious rather than freeing.
  • The mention of an abandoned cabin and weeds that refuse to speak hints at a desire for simplicity and the acceptance of silence in the face of complexity.
  • The assertion that nothing is connected, even with the presence of something as powerful and unifying as lightning, speaks to a profound sense of isolation and fragmentation.
  • The observation that more and more movies are not ending suggests a cultural reflection on the lack of closure or resolution in contemporary storytelling, paralleling the unresolved aspects of human experience.

Very Capable

A poem.

Photo by Niklas Weiss on Unsplash

How do you evaluate a mental state from the inside? Try some substitution, a collage made entirely of rain, a translation into a language you can’t speak or write. Maybe you just don’t belong the way a match becomes garbage pretty much immediately.

I don’t know what you’re trying to say, says the lawn mower to the fertilizer. This is supposed to be free and playful but it feels like work. The abandoned cabin in the woods refuses to speak, insists it is just a cabin. The weeds say even less.

Nothing is connected no matter how much lightning you use. More and more movies aren’t ending.

Poetry
Poetry On Medium
Poem
Surrealism
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