"A light catches somewhere, finds human spirit to burn on...it dwells: slowly the light, its veracity unshaken, dies but moves to find a place to break out elsewhere; this light, tendance, neglect is human concern working with what is." - A. R. Ammons
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Numa Numa
blinking awake
staring, contemplating
travel sustained through time
glowing fire
surrounded by frigid
nothingness
Alone but surrounded by friends
twinkling lights above our heads
Thanks for posting your poem! First I’d like to say that I don’t think it’s bad :) I think you’ve taken an interesting step out of the English language and in a sense, incorporated that into your poem. The first thing I notice about the poem when I read it is the title “Numa Numa.” I know there is somewhat of an ‘internet phenomenon’ or meme associated with those words, in particular, it is associated with the song “Dragostea din tei.” I think that in order to look beyond the title of the poem, I have to take a look at the context of the song that your title references. The lyrics from the song you chose are Romanian and I believe they translate to “You don’t, You don’t.” I believe in full context, the lyrics read as “Nu ma nu ma iei,” which roughly translates to “you don’t, you don’t take me.”
I think the title of the poem in context to the song creates a speaker that is challenging his or her audience on an interpersonal level to be open, accepting and aware. The speaker is introspective and very observant: “blinking awake/ staring, contemplating” (1-2). There is a quiet social commentary occurring in the poem from this speaker’s point of view as well: “Alone but surrounded by friends/ twinkling lights above our heads” (7-8). In a sense, I think the speaker is acknowledging the disjointed feeling that often comes with introversion or a heightened sense of self-awareness-- the feeling that someone might get while being in a large room filled with people, still feeling disassociated and alone. I emphasize the 7th line because of the choice in punctuation and also the social context. The first word “Alone” (7) is capitalized and I think this is a deliberate action to further imply a sense of isolation or to draw more attention to the word. The last line, “twinkling lights above our heads” (8) might reference the sky that is generally all-encompassing, implying that regardless of how we feel, we as human beings are still essentially under one roof (whether or not we choose to isolate one another). I think the third line implies experiencing a diachronic span, to which the speaker is assessing their journey of where they have been and how they have gotten to where they are now: “travel sustained through time.” In the fourth line, “glowing fire” is mentioned and I think this could be referencing a cognitive sort of motivation and inner creativity. This leads into the next few lines where the speaker posits “surrounded by frigid/ nothingness” (5-6), which I think in turn comments on an environment that does not readily support creative energies and intentions.
I find it interesting that the speaker really becomes involved by the last few lines of the poem. The poem begins with aloof observations but eventually transitions into a perspective that is socially involved. I like how the poem exhibits clear diction, but is driven by different aspects of social consciousness.
The rest of the poem is written in a single stanza and focuses on content specifically, instead of creating attention with punctuation. Punctuation is great to experiment with, I think, and I’ve noticed others in the workshop have also stepped out of the box of stereotypical punctuation in order to embody more of an “Indie” approach. This poem appears minimalist and it is poetry’s birthright to appear that way, but I think the content of the poem really speaks. I think you’ve done a great job adding to Indie poetry’s knack for consciousness, and I look forward to reading more Numa Numas in the future :)
Thanks for posting your poem! First I’d like to say that I don’t think it’s bad :) I think you’ve taken an interesting step out of the English language and in a sense, incorporated that into your poem. The first thing I notice about the poem when I read it is the title “Numa Numa.” I know there is somewhat of an ‘internet phenomenon’ or meme associated with those words, in particular, it is associated with the song “Dragostea din tei.” I think that in order to look beyond the title of the poem, I have to take a look at the context of the song that your title references. The lyrics from the song you chose are Romanian and I believe they translate to “You don’t, You don’t.” I believe in full context, the lyrics read as “Nu ma nu ma iei,” which roughly translates to “you don’t, you don’t take me.”
ReplyDeleteI think the title of the poem in context to the song creates a speaker that is challenging his or her audience on an interpersonal level to be open, accepting and aware. The speaker is introspective and very observant: “blinking awake/ staring, contemplating” (1-2). There is a quiet social commentary occurring in the poem from this speaker’s point of view as well: “Alone but surrounded by friends/ twinkling lights above our heads” (7-8). In a sense, I think the speaker is acknowledging the disjointed feeling that often comes with introversion or a heightened sense of self-awareness-- the feeling that someone might get while being in a large room filled with people, still feeling disassociated and alone. I emphasize the 7th line because of the choice in punctuation and also the social context. The first word “Alone” (7) is capitalized and I think this is a deliberate action to further imply a sense of isolation or to draw more attention to the word. The last line, “twinkling lights above our heads” (8) might reference the sky that is generally all-encompassing, implying that regardless of how we feel, we as human beings are still essentially under one roof (whether or not we choose to isolate one another). I think the third line implies experiencing a diachronic span, to which the speaker is assessing their journey of where they have been and how they have gotten to where they are now: “travel sustained through time.” In the fourth line, “glowing fire” is mentioned and I think this could be referencing a cognitive sort of motivation and inner creativity. This leads into the next few lines where the speaker posits “surrounded by frigid/ nothingness” (5-6), which I think in turn comments on an environment that does not readily support creative energies and intentions.
I find it interesting that the speaker really becomes involved by the last few lines of the poem. The poem begins with aloof observations but eventually transitions into a perspective that is socially involved. I like how the poem exhibits clear diction, but is driven by different aspects of social consciousness.
The rest of the poem is written in a single stanza and focuses on content specifically, instead of creating attention with punctuation. Punctuation is great to experiment with, I think, and I’ve noticed others in the workshop have also stepped out of the box of stereotypical punctuation in order to embody more of an “Indie” approach. This poem appears minimalist and it is poetry’s birthright to appear that way, but I think the content of the poem really speaks. I think you’ve done a great job adding to Indie poetry’s knack for consciousness, and I look forward to reading more Numa Numas in the future :)
-Tara