Appreciation to “Tell Me” by Afif Kichloo
This writing was written in 2016 for Exploring Poetry Class.
Have you been stranded in the middle,
On your knees, as if begging (for the right to stay)?
Have you been lost, and if you have been lost,
have you been found?
What is that one urge that keeps you up at night?
And do you like it when you’re up so late?
What makes the hair on the back of your neck stand?
And when they stand, do you think they need a reason?
Do you think you have it in you to say something good
in words?
And if you do, do you think you would ever say them
out loud?
Have you been breathing?
Are your lungs full?
(Full of shame, full of guilt, full of hope)
Have you found life in your dark room?
Or have you discovered some secret glee in pain?
Do you wish to get out?
And will your choice change if you know I am standing
outside?
What if I am standing outside and waiting?
What if I am standing outside and not?
I see poetry as a friend, a friend
who knows me so well they know exactly what I feel and put it into words. That
is the reason why, regardless of tons of poems had written and published, there
are only a few that can truly speak to our soul. In this case, the poem above
speaks to me in some ways; through its sound, meanings, repetition, and
figurative language, which will be elaborated in this essay.
In terms of sounds, which talks
about rhymes and rhythms, there are only a few of them. Words like word and loud rhymes, but I could only find those two. This is the same with
rhyme, I still could not understand how to find one, so I could not find any.
But, there is something about the “sound” of this poem that enchants me, it is
the questions; which will be elaborated later. When I read it, I feel like the
poem is a persona (a sound) that knows my deepest emotion and ask me about it.
Another thing that I love from this
poem is the meaning. He, the poet, uses denotative meanings throughout the
poem, and I relate the words with my own perspective. When he says “lost”, I
take it as “the confusion in life”. When he says “found”, I take it as “I
finally know my place in this world” or “I know what I should do” and “I know
what I want to”. When he says “Have you been breathing?”, I take it
connotatively and denotatively. But after that, he spoils the connotative
meanings explicitly; “Full of shame, full of guilt, full of hope”. He takes me
on an emotional ride, and I like it.
The only thing that is being
repeated in this poem is the questions. Even though there is no repetition of
words, the repetitive questions is also charming, like I have mentioned in the
second paragraph. The use of questions in this poem feels really intimate to
me; like a friend who validates that my emotions are real and valid. I love how
the persona pushed me to the end, to feel my emotions deeply, to question it,
and ponder about it. Honestly, that is what I love the most about this poem;
how it feels like a good friend who calms you when you feel like being left
alone in a storm. To be more exact, the questions help me realize things, just
like how we are being asked by a psychiatrist or psychologist, it makes me
calm.
Regarding to the figurative
language, which is one of the most popular character of a poem, it is nowhere
to be found. I think it is a personal preference to use figurative languages,
because even though there is no figurative language, the poem still
successfully speaks to me intimately. Though, there is one personification; “What
makes the hair on the back of your neck stand? And when they stand, do you
think they need a reason?” But, I see this as a personification that we use in
daily words, so it doesn’t gives off extra dramatic feeling.
Overall, this poem speaks to me because
of the repetitive questions and the use of denotative words. Apparently,
regardless of how a poem should be (according to its features), what matters in
a poem is how it conveys a piece of yourself, emotions that both you and the
poem have inside. That is how the poem recognizes my soul and draws me in, and
I believe that it is a matter of every individual’s interpretation.
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