Not very often that you get to interpret your own poems. In fact, this is so rare, that this post is not an example. Problem was that I wrote this poem thinking that I had NOT left room for interpretation, but things were interpreted anyway... so am just noting additional explanations that I couldn't put into the structure of the poem. Within square brackets, because the poem uses the rounded ones.
(will risk appearing arrogant on my blog for the sake of noting my true intentions.)
here is the poem without the comments in the margin
Remote control
Recognize Paradox to celebrate Life
Ignore Paradox to celebrate Humanity
Invent Paradox to celebrate Science
Celebrate Paradox to invent Religion
(Recognize life to celebrate paradox)
Torture Man to invent Nature
Torture Nature to invent Science
Torture Science to invent God
Torture God to invent Religion
(Tortured Men invent Gods)
Romance for the sake of Immortality
Progress for the sake of Intelligence
Like War for the sake of Peace
Art for the sake of Art
(Immortality for the sake of Romance)
Journey to exploit the Road
Think to exploit the Self
Wonder to exploit the Miracle
Pray… pray to exploit
(Like Bees exploiting the Flower)
Interpret as a matter of Choice
Accept as a matter of Choice
Rejoice as a matter of Choice
Recover as a matter of Choice
(Choice is a matter of Interpretation)
The all prevailing illusion exists
But it fucking doesn’t matter.
And the raped version (read only if you are unsatisfied or want to comprehend my intentions and to see if the poem has been understood in a way other than how I intended it to be)
Remote control
Recognize Paradox to celebrate Life
Ignore Paradox to celebrate Humanity
Invent Paradox to celebrate Science
Celebrate Paradox to invent Religion
(Recognize life to celebrate paradox)
[This, at least is crystal clear]
Torture Man to invent Nature
Torture Nature to invent Science
Torture Science to invent God
Torture God to invent Religion [Wanted the line to bring up the notion, and then make you realise that it was wrong to think of that in the first place. But you were meant to do it anyway. I was intending a Jesus, a Mohammed AND a Buddha, but there is a nice Durga/Mahishasura parallel]
(Tortured Men invent Gods)
[umm... that was written with slightly melevolent intentions]
Romance for the sake of Immortality [one of those cheapass parallels apart from the generalised statement is a dig at the attempts at writers]
Progress for the sake of Intelligence
Like War for the sake of Peace [The like is meant for the first two lines as well as the last. Sort of turns things around again. Meant to do it at least.]
Art for the sake of Art
(Immortality for the sake of Romance)
[As profound as it may sound, this is another cheapass dig. Problem is that I have many cheapass digs along with the cool ones. Think I should stop that.]
Journey to exploit the Road
Think to exploit the Self
Wonder to exploit the Miracle
Pray… pray to exploit [yeah baby]
(Like Bees exploiting the Flower)
[Ok, this is the cool part. First, the bees exploiting the flower actually generates the honey. Second, the flower actually gets the bee to exploit it (think back to the lines of the stanza NOW) for its own sake, to pollinate. Third, no one actually gets exploited in the process, its a mutually beneficial thing. This explanation probably ruined the effect.]
Interpret as a matter of Choice
Accept as a matter of Choice
Rejoice as a matter of Choice
Recover as a matter of Choice
(Choice is a matter of Interpretation)
[Ah well, the corny winding up]
The all prevailing illusion exists
But it fucking doesn’t matter.
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