I've asked all the doctors,
all the engineers,
all the mathematicians,
all the writers,
and the creator.
But
I still can't fit this poem
in this box.
What the hell?
-- Anthony Wu
What do I do?
You say you can't fit that poem
in that box.
May I ask,
Can you fit that poem
In any box?
I have tried to fit this poem in
a cardboard box
a copper box
a wooden box
a plastic box
a glass snuffbox
a chef's knife box.
I used a sphere
A tetrahedron
A combination of both.
I integrated
the space between the sides
the curves
the lines
and they all agreed
that they could hold this poem
in some
weird ass box.
But
I still can't fit this poem
in this box.
So
tell me
why can't I fit this poem
in a box?
You've seen why
you cant fit that poem
in that box.
Are you done?
What?
You've seen that poem
shed tears
and soak up your cardboard box.
You've seen that poem
use its willpower
and reshape your copper box.
You've seen that poem
fill with rage
and scorch your wooden box.
You've seen that poem
feel bitter
and reprimand your plastic box.
You've seen that poem
become narcissistic
and shatter your glass snuffbox.
You've seen that poem
feel salty
and parch your chef's knife box.
Yes,
Even my weird ass box
couldn't contain you.
Now then
Now then
Please,
Be frank.
Be frank.
What the hell?
-- Anthony Wu
Great poem solution to your poem-in-box problem, Anthony. I like the stanza where the poem's emotions damage the various types of boxes in specific ways.
ReplyDeleteI love the back-and-forth in this poem, and the fact that each type of box you explored was effected differently by the poem's (the one you are trying to fit in the box) personality. Also the end is great- looking forward to the next posts!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you're using a lot of mathematical/scientific terminology, and trying to fit the poem into a box that way -- not to say that poetry is completely separate from math and science (the next poetry prob is related to that!), but I thought that it was interesting, like a frustrated scientist who can't find a way to quantify a poem.
ReplyDeleteI love how this was question and answer. I also love that whoever was answering says "you've seen why you cant fit that poem in a box" so you feel like an answer is there, yet you're left wondering. It makes you think deeper about the poem (this one you wrote), and think about how much of a fight the poem (discussed in this poem, the one that won't fit in a box) is putting so that it won't be suppressed or constrained. One other thing I really loved was went you went from just "a ___ box" to "a glass snuffbox" and "a chef's knife box" because I wasn't particularly expecting it and it was a nice change of pace.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good poem! I like how creative you got with the prompt. I also really enjoyed that last stanza, and especially that last line. It just really displayed the frustration that comes with trying to "fit a poem in a box".
ReplyDeleteI like how you answered the problem by using a poem and describing how the poem rejects each of the boxes in turn. It's interesting how you use some formal language, but also throw in some more modern, casual terms like "salty" and "weird ass box"; it gave the solution a nice twist.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is great! I like your take on the prompt, how you focused this post on the box, rather than finding a way to change the poem to fit the box. I love the creativity in the poem, from the variety of boxes to the personification of the poem, which really highlights how multi-faceted a poem is, and how difficult it is to really pinpoint the exact "box" it fits under.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really fun poem to read. It captured the symbolic defiance of the poem to fit inside the box very very well. I especially loved how long the poem stretched down the page, because it literally couldn't fit inside the box of my browser window. Whether or not the short length of lines and the impressive vertical span of the poem was intentional, it certainly managed to amuse me.
ReplyDeleteAnthony, I agree with everyone that posted before me, this was an effective, fun, playful and all around awesome poem. I especially like the way you talk about all the experts you consulted in trying to fit the poem into the box. None in any field could pull off the task, not even the writer himself. That really nicely conveys the insurmountable nature of the problem of trying to constrain poems to less than they were created to be.
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ReplyDeleteI like how you you answer the prompt with a meaningful and interesting poem. I also like how you exemplify your frustration with fitting a poem in a box. Also some of the casual language you use adds a good flavor to the poem.
ReplyDeleteI commented on this before, but it disappeared so I'm doing this again. I really liked this poem because it was really well-written and I like how you talk about different people who solve problems but nobody can solve this one. That was a very unique and interesting take on this problem. Also, I really liked the informal aspect of this poem, without losing the structure of a poem.
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