Anyone who could help mE interpret a poem?

Question

I BaDLY NEED HELP! heres the poem:If a poem was just

a bouquet of flowers,

I'd rather be given

a bundle of swamp shoots

or a bundle of sweet potato tops

gathered from a mud puddle

or filched from the bamboo tray

of a vegetable vendor,

because I hunger

and my innards have not a nose,

they have no eyes.

Want has long benumbed

my taste buds,

so don't, revered poets of my country,

don't offer me verses

if a poem was just

a bouquet of flowers.

Answer 1

I’m pretty sure the general message the author is trying to convey with this poem is that we overlook the simple things that sustain who we are and instead are entranced by physical beauty.

The "bouquet of flowers" is a group of carefully selected items chosen for their beauties while the shoots, potato tops, and filched have been set aside even though they contain something far greater. In them is the gift and preservation life. For the author, the flowers are just a minor part of the world around us.

"Because I hunger" shows the authors desire for more then just food. It could also tell of their need for more then just the beauty we see through our eyes. It’s a hunger for what comes from inside, which is an entirely different beauty.

These items of food, though meager in contrast to modern day food, when placed next to the statement "because I hunger" cast a warmth in the mood for readers. It gives a sense of security (similar to a meal at home) and provides a comfort of being taken care of with the knowledge that this food will help you through to the next day.

The author describes the sweet potatoes to be "gathered from a mud puddle". This provides readers with the image of source of life coming from the depths of the unknown, or if taken from another view, from the grungy slums of the earth.

The "innards have not a nose, they have no eyes" it could be referring to more then just the stomach. Like the tummy our hearts and souls do not have the sense of smell or of sight, but can take in the warmth and beauty through other ways. As the author talks of a hunger, it paints the illusion of a desire for what is hidden inside even the ugliest.

The author speaks of a “Want has long benumbed, my taste buds” which has a possible two meanings. The first, more less likely meaning is of how they themselves have been overcome by unnecessary desires for trivial aspects such as the flowers. A more plausible interpretation of these lines would be the author’s desire for the necessities of life to an extent where even taste can be overlooked for the rewards of even such a simple thing as shoots can give.

The last four lines is simply the author’s message to other poets such as themselves to stop writing of trivial aspects in life such as the physical beauty of a flower, but instead to reach inside themselves and express what means most to them, and convey what is in their hearts to the world. The poem itself is a request to other poets to use they words to open the eyes of their readers to a far greater beauty which is found in all.

lol, yeah its long but hope it helped!

Answer 2

wow very nice itz soundz simple but itz actually pretty deep i like it lotz!!

Answer 3

poetry is emotions, feelings

-it's thoughts and ideas

food for the soule

flowers are pretty

-- some are tasty too --

but to fill the belly

they are a treat

not nourishment

--I too --

would rather have

stolen garbage

trampled leftovers

than feed

on a pretty items

that amount to nothing

it sounds along lines of

the infamous -

"let them eat cake"

when i read

-eat-

poetry

-- words --

I want to be filled

with thoughts and ideas

of substance

not fluff

-- one is left hungry --

after the bud fades

the beauty gone

illusion of the flower

holding or having value

shows it as nothing

no food for mind

or heart or soule

poetry is personal

-- what I see will vary --

slight or extreme

to what you or another sees within

is this one polictical

-- it has within the lines --

tones that suggest

there is unrest

in physical

world

in emotional

realms

and in the spiritual

thought

it appears to be left to reader

to formulate

grasp and hold

and make their personal

bouquet

-- is yours of flowers --

or do you want

-- food for thought --

timeless and awesome

inspiring poetry

thank you for sharing this

and for taking time to hear my opinion on it

Answer 4

I'm no smartypants or whatever, but I think the basic idea of this poem is that the reader has a carnal need for something more than frivolous words, like useless flowers that are only good for smelling and seeing. The main point is to encourage poets to write more meaty and substantial poetry, something that fulfills rather than dazzles.