(based off the show Yellowjackets)
can we fight, for once,
the way real people in real places do?
can we yell at each other
until our throats are raw?
i have always envied the trees,
the way they scream,
and i am so tired of not making a sound.
and can we stop pulling punches,
rip each other into pieces?
small ones,
bite sized—
oh to be consumed by you,
by something shaped like love and rage,
and can we make the fight
to the death?
i would rather you stop my heart than break it,
i would feed it to you on a platter
if you asked
and i would stay,
always,
the knife you hold
to my throat the only thing standing between us,
keeping us upright,
keeping the world turning on its axis
and the trees swaying in the gentle breeze
while we stand still,
so still,
roots growing out of the soles of our feet,
twisting around our ankles,
burrowing deep in the ground,
reaching, always reaching
until we are forever
intertwined.
The Junction Journal 
The reason why I believe this blog spoke to me out of all the others that I had read is because of this interpretation in which the author displays emotional and physical emotions. The physicality of it and the severity of its implications honestly give it sort of a romantic aggression appeal. It feels as if the author is wants to rigorously love someone or the receiver in this poem. The language used definitely appears to me as aggressive but also subservient regardless of the damage that it ma cause and the risk that it poses. ” and can we stop pulling punches, rip each other into pieces? small ones, bite sized— oh to be consumed by you, by something shaped like love and rage, and can we make the fight to the death? i would rather you stop my heart than break it, i would feed it to you on a platter if you asked and i would stay, always, the knife you hold to my throat the only thing standing between us, keeping us upright.” This is my favorite part of the poem as I feel that it contains a significant amount of its emotions and truly encapsulates the raging passionate love that the author has for the person reading it. This poem definitely demonstrates complexity perhaps even an unrequited love, an unrequited love the author doesn’t mind since he himself may relish in the thought of loving someone so passionately but at the same time wanting to be perfectly in tune and calm. To have a stable relationship where there can be a release and stability like the hymn of the wind hitting against the trees in a forest. He compares himself to a tree many times forever wanting to be with this person he writes this to.
– Staylin Fernandez
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Hi, thank you so much for your comment!! I based this poem off of the TV show Yellowjackets because I think the symbolism in the show is excellent, in particular with one character, Shauna, and the intense relationships she has throughout the show, and the violence that often surfaces surrounding those relationships. I find her character one of the most fascinating in the show because of this. The show is so visceral in its depiction of trauma and how it can change a person and change the relationships they have with other people, and I really wanted to capture that in this poem. I’m so glad you liked it! Yellowjackets is a pretty dark show but if you like thrillers bordering on horror you might like it too. -Duly
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One of the reasons this poem stuck out to me was just based upon the name—simple and effective, but still leaving enough unknown for me to want to read more. I have had very deep connections with friends and lovers alike; the very aggressive tone of the poem shows just how deep this love is for this mystery person. It sounds like the author either does or wants to feel this way about a person. I can relate to this because in my life I have felt love very deep and have wanted to be intertwined with a person.
Oh, to be consumed by you,
by something shaped like love and rage,
and can we make the fight
to the death?
This specific part of the poem resonated with me very heavily; to be consumed all of you given to somebody is a hard thing to be someone and loving them through the good moments and horrible moments shows the beautiful dynamic between two people in love. To want to fight for this love till death is a very dramatic thing to say, but I feel it speaks to the power of what we call love. Love is a very weird concept and idea, but I feel this poem highlights the thrill and the longing for someone to ride with you 1000000%. It seems the author is grieving this love and wishes that they still had this love in their life. How keeping this person was almost hurting them in a sense.
“the knife you hold
to my throat the only thing standing between us,
keeping us upright.”
This shows how maybe while the author was in love, they were always on edge, wondering what next move might hurt them. Although this poem is a very extreme example, I feel it shows that humans are made to love, and when real love is formed, it is a very hard bond to break. Love is like a double-edged sword; the highs and the lows culminate to create one beautiful intertwining.
-Zion Kabore
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