1 new of 19 responses total.
(warning: lengthy resp, proceed at risk of snoozing) (;
BTW, Jon, my name's E R I N N.
: resp:3 I'm not sure what you mean, Erin.. if you mean you
: empathize with the sentiments in the poem, well.. forgive me for
: being so frank, but I wonder why you would think that.
:
: Why?
:
In Dallas, I walk down the street and get whistles and cat calls
from (mostly Mexican) people driving down the road. First of all, I find
this irritating and ridiculous, that an adult would behave so immaturely.
Their attentions, whether they're sincerely ment or not, make me feel like
"a piece of meat" (time-honored phrasing, thought I'd toss it in there).
Secondly, my street smarts tell me to blend and not be seen and
so be able to avoid confrontation with danger. A pretty woman garners
more attention than a plain one, and attention can result in anything from
hoots/hollars/whistles to violence.
It's one of those Laws Of The Jungle types of things, I guess.
It's a way of protecting myself from those that would do me harm, and so
when walking out in the open, I will carry myself with intent, but not
swing my hips too much or lift my head too high. The woman in freedom's
poem believes that the attentions bestowed on her by the men are
complimentary, but I feel that that's indicative of her naivity, her
ignorence of the dangers of the world.
Ok, there's a few ways you can look at this. Maybe the poet feels
some envy toward the girl and seeks to assure herself that her own
self image of being plain is better than being beautiful, that beautiful
people are endangered because of their beauty. Or maybe the poet is being
realistic, recognizing that beauty is a double edged sword that should be
used with tact.
: 1) saw your picture and thought, "gee, she is really lovely and I
: know she's probably breaking hearts whether she knows it or not"
:
Thanks. (:
: 2) met you in person and thought, "wow, she seems to be
: beautiful inside as well.. so sweet and she really will bring
: happiness to the right man"
:
Hm. That remains to be seen (the "bringing happiness to the right
man" bit, I mean). I *am* beautiful on the inside. And when I decide to
show my inner self, it's because I trust both the environment and people
I'm around. Without that trust, I am no more noteworthy than any other
knot in the wood. I value this ability. I feel that it keeps me safe.
: 3) had to smack myself and remember that I was married, but still
: was in awe of someone I thought had so much potential
:
<g> And a lovely wife she is, too. <wink>
Awe? Certainly that's an overdramatization.
: 4) I wonder why Erin would empathize.. surely there are guys that
: think really well of her
:
People are attracted to me for another reason, too: I have a habit
of breaking their normal patterns of interaction, which automatically
makes me of extra interest. I draw quiet people into conversation; I make
loud, boisterous people laugh.
(Sidenote: Lexi once told me that my first summer at Interlochen,
very few people would talk to me because I was "both loud and silent at
the same time," and that it was an unsettling thing to be around. )
: 5) for that matter, although I haven't met Megan, I'll bet she's a real
: sweetheart and a wonderful person, so why should either of these
: two have to feel that way?
:
<high fives Megan> We rule. (;
: 6) there is probably some symbolism I'm missing.
:
I am, of course, only showing what *I* understand Megan's poem to
be about. Her interperatation might be different.
You have several choices: