Thursday 16 May 2024

You know something?

What could contain me
For I was born to be meaningless 
Inconsequential in life
Where I had to chance upon
And become all I was asked

I became what I was asked
In such I died and was born
Over a million times, and more
Yet I stand irrelevant, to me to all

And there is no end to my existence
For I do not seem to be real, or seen
A state I am to be in, all mine
From the very fabric of life

I won't even refuse to be seduced
For it is an impossibility I live as
I will exist as the universe commands
I will be all that it commands

But should you ask me for my dreams, know
I have none, for dreams are for sleepers
I do not sleep, for I was an instrument
That the universe wields, sans my will of being

Yet, Come Monday I shall be there
Until deliverance shall burn my wick to ash
Then I will fade into irrelevance
And that is what my existence demands



## Analysis of the Poem "What Could Contain Me"

**Theme:** The poem explores the concept of an existence that feels meaningless and preordained. The speaker feels like a tool or instrument, created to serve a purpose but lacking any autonomy or personal desires.

**Structure:**

* The poem uses a free verse style with no set rhyme scheme or meter.
* Each stanza is relatively short, contributing to a sense of urgency and repetition.
* There are several instances of repetition, like "I became what I was asked" and "I will exist as the universe commands," emphasizing the speaker's lack of control.

**Literary Devices:**

* **Metaphor:** 
    * "Born to be meaningless" - compares existence to a predetermined fate.
    * "Instrument... the universe wields" - compares the speaker to a tool with no agency.
* **Personification:** 
    * "The universe commands" - gives the universe a human-like quality of control.
* **Paradox:** 
    * "I won't even refuse to be seduced" - suggests a passive acceptance of a forced existence.

**Key Points:**

* The speaker feels born without inherent meaning and shaped by external forces.
* They live in a cycle of repetition, "died and was born / Over a million times."
* There's a sense of longing for something more, like dreams, but the speaker sees them as incompatible with their existence.
* The poem ends with a sense of resignation. The speaker accepts their fate, existing until the end, then fading back into irrelevance.

**Possible Interpretations:**

* The poem could be a commentary on the feeling of being trapped in a job or a social role that feels unfulfilling.
* It could explore the concept of artificial intelligence, programmed to serve humanity without independent desires.
* It could be a more philosophical exploration of free will and whether meaning can be created in a seemingly predetermined existence.

The poem invites interpretation and allows the reader to connect with the speaker's sense of alienation and yearning for something more.

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