The Best Poems Ever (According to Reddit)

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  • Опубликовано: 21 дек 2024

Комментарии • 152

  • @RoughestDrafts
    @RoughestDrafts  5 месяцев назад +216

    Note: While sources say Judith Butler does accept she/her pronouns, they do prefer they/them pronouns. I apologize for that mistake on my part and thank those who pointed it out.

    • @AugustRx
      @AugustRx 5 месяцев назад +3

      Can everyone just settle for one set of pronouns despite gender differences already pls

    • @oscar5226
      @oscar5226 5 месяцев назад +45

      @@AugustRx no :)

    • @basiliskgenesis
      @basiliskgenesis 5 месяцев назад +26

      @@AugustRxur gonna lose ur shit when i tell u that some people use any/all pronouns

    • @AugustRx
      @AugustRx 5 месяцев назад

      @@basiliskgenesis some people

    • @lordedmundblackadder9321
      @lordedmundblackadder9321 5 месяцев назад +4

      @@AugustRx no 😎😎😎

  • @ms.watakamis947
    @ms.watakamis947 5 месяцев назад +74

    the first half of the video makes you think, "haha! silly reddit poems hee hee!," and then the last half hits you like a speeding truck on a slicked highway

  • @looseleaflyra
    @looseleaflyra 5 месяцев назад +100

    oh fuck, im sobbing. that last poem completely and utterly broke me.
    two years ago today i was in Chicago, seeing an old family friend, planning to kill myself when i got home. instead, a kind stranger complimented my shoes before feeding a duck. in that moment i saw beauty in the world the likes of which i had not seen since childhood. every day since I've done everything in my power to fall in love with life again and its worked, its working. im so fucking glad i didnt go through with my plan. i know everyone has heard it a million times before but please, please stay. please.

    • @elderflower2133
      @elderflower2133 5 месяцев назад +6

      I don't know you but I'm glad you didn't go through with your plan too.

    • @lemonadesaccounttm8721
      @lemonadesaccounttm8721 4 месяца назад +5

      wherever you are i love you

  • @ezra7088
    @ezra7088 5 месяцев назад +237

    I really like this poem: In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political
    I must listen to the birds
    and in order to hear the birds
    the warplanes must be silent.
    - Marwan Makhoul, Palestinian Poet
    What are your thoughts on it?

    • @HighMaintainanceMachine
      @HighMaintainanceMachine 5 месяцев назад +2

      I'll have to look into more of his poems :)

    • @doge8825
      @doge8825 5 месяцев назад +3

      Pretty touching but leaves out a lot of important context. I guess if you’re trying to comment on the life of palestinians right now as their shitty “government” turned their home into a war zone this very much does get the point across

    • @altairdesanta3888
      @altairdesanta3888 5 месяцев назад +21

      @@doge8825funny to come across this comment on the day that the ICJ ruled that the Israeli occupation has been violating international law for the last 60 years. Did you know that Israel was closely allied with apartheid South Africa? Did you know that the Israeli government has publicly admitted support for Hamas because Hamas gives them an excuse to deny the Palestinians a state? Please educate yourself

    • @navideology
      @navideology 2 месяца назад +2

  • @FromthedressIworeatmidnight
    @FromthedressIworeatmidnight 5 месяцев назад +274

    "Piece a shit" does what no Insta poetry can; what Rupi Kaur can only dream of. It lingers with the reader, it's different, it's humorous. I'll probably tell my cat about it! Good poetry will encourage discussion, will prompt the reader to think and talk, not just accept it as it is.

    • @Of_infinite_Faith
      @Of_infinite_Faith Месяц назад

      You must be joking. It's exactly what Kaur would write

  • @imnormaliswear-
    @imnormaliswear- 5 месяцев назад +206

    I've been having constant suicidal thoughts recently for around 4 months and the last poem actually made me cry because it reminded me why I'm still here

    • @RoughestDrafts
      @RoughestDrafts  5 месяцев назад +71

      I hope you’re doing okay. I’m glad the poem helped, it really is so powerful. Don’t forget that the world is better because you’re in it

    • @unfabrans
      @unfabrans 5 месяцев назад +10

      i've been struggling for 7 months with the same thing as well. the poem was heart-wrenching. giving much love

    • @hoodio
      @hoodio 5 месяцев назад +8

      you have no idea how happy it makes me to see comments like yours 🫂

  • @mx.benzedrine
    @mx.benzedrine 5 месяцев назад +56

    Reading "The Morning After I Killed Myself" a few years ago impacted me in a way I can't put into words. All I can say is that it's beautifully heartbreaking.

  • @terranbricklin
    @terranbricklin 5 месяцев назад +355

    "The morning after I killed myself" is possibly one of the most monumental and emotional poem I've ever written [EDIT: read], oh my god.

    • @bug688
      @bug688 5 месяцев назад +41

      Written!? Meggie Royer is that you…

    • @terranbricklin
      @terranbricklin 5 месяцев назад +30

      @@bug688 oh my gosh whoops 😅
      Yes of course, it is I, the one and only 🤦

    • @d4klutz913
      @d4klutz913 4 месяца назад +1

      It's a corny poem

    • @writingisfun9842
      @writingisfun9842 Месяц назад +3

      To the person above: how is it corny? Perhaps you do not understand, or understand too deeply to step back and see from another perspective.

    • @Pee-p1v
      @Pee-p1v Месяц назад

      @@d4klutz913it’s really good.

  • @pink_plasticbag
    @pink_plasticbag 5 месяцев назад +51

    When i see a pickle
    & it rolls over and proclaim its name
    its like
    the funniest shit I've ever seen

  • @_kaleido
    @_kaleido 5 месяцев назад +60

    I may be projecting(and sorry if that is presumptuous or insensitive) but to me it sounded like you got choked up a little at the end of the fourth poem... it really made that much more sad for me :( it's a beautiful poem and your narration made it so much better

  • @darnikrshowtime
    @darnikrshowtime 5 месяцев назад +20

    Hearing that final poem, "the Morning After I Killed Myself" not only brought a tear to my eye, but had me sobbing with raw emotion. Powerful poem, powerful imagery, I hope the poet is doing well.

  • @islalikeisland
    @islalikeisland 5 месяцев назад +67

    all i can think of is "if you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?" - rupaul charles (rupil kaurles?)

  • @aguyfromflorida4842
    @aguyfromflorida4842 5 месяцев назад +91

    you know its real when a redditor pulls out random japanese phrases

  • @stormRed
    @stormRed 5 месяцев назад +17

    The Day After I Killed Myself just made me cry the way no poetry has done before, I can't imagine how it would affect me if I had a more personal connection to it.

  • @angeryeva
    @angeryeva 5 месяцев назад +69

    god that fourth poem was truly hard hitting, you read that beautifully

  • @Catsandcoffee123
    @Catsandcoffee123 5 месяцев назад +15

    To everybody who felt heard while listening to "The Morning After...", I'm so glad you're here. I know we're strangers, but I feel you, I feel your pain. Wishing that you have wonderful days ahead, and I'm so glad you're alive and well. You are so loved, and you are so cherished.

  • @mangoeerie
    @mangoeerie 5 месяцев назад +14

    I clicked on this video thinking it would just be analyzing silly poems and people arguing in the Reddit comments, but instead found myself crying at my desk while trying to play a game on my phone. Great video.

  • @oneask1
    @oneask1 5 месяцев назад +22

    i adore how you respectfully dissect poetry, everything seems filled with so much care and love for literature, every point you make lands wonderfully!

  • @kabird.5493
    @kabird.5493 3 месяца назад +3

    gotta love a video essayist who uses clips from dunkey and the spectacular Spiderman perfectly in essays on poetry and cultural criticism. cinema.

  • @andresfigueroa1073
    @andresfigueroa1073 5 месяцев назад +5

    The last one really hit me, I was playing some video games while listening to this in the background and I had to let go of my controller to allow myself to shed a tear. I suffer from suicidal ideation from time to time and have also lost family to it. Really powerful stuff.

  • @mude_13
    @mude_13 5 месяцев назад +43

    I'm not a poet. i think maybe i could be, with practice, but flowery language doesn't come naturally to me. When I was in my early 20's, i was in a horrible place. Psychically. Financially. Mentally. I was fully planning on ending my own life. I gave away my pets, stopped going to work, and planned on leaving as soon as the savings ran out. I would take walks in the woods with rope, to hang myself if i built up the nerve. On one of these walks, i visited a nearby graveyard and happened to sit on a bench near a grave. There were several toy dinosaurs placed at the grave, which caught my attention. The person buried there was a young boy, about 7 when he passed away. He was born only a few days before me, we were practically the same age. Here was a child, born at the same time as me, who loved dinosaurs as I had loved dinosaurs, his life stolen away from him before it could even begin. And here was me: living a life that his he and his family had wanted for him. And i was planning on throwing it away. It seems cliche, but some small part of me lives on for his sake.

    • @carimeslockdownedtree2654
      @carimeslockdownedtree2654 5 месяцев назад +7

      Wow that's. Hard. I'm glad you decided to keep on living, seeing yourself to reflected in that child. I'm honestly so glad of it. So glad. I'm sorry that ever happened to you and glad you've gotten better.
      But about the poetry thing, I would say this message in itself could be a poem, starting from "when I was in my early 20's". Very straightforward, yes, but some things can just be. It could be a prose poem with no problem. It's still hard-hitting and well-written. You've already got poetry within you. This is a sign of it.
      I hope you keep living not only for that boy whose life was cut short, but yourself. Thanks for sharing this with us

    • @cyndibelo7051
      @cyndibelo7051 5 месяцев назад +1

      This comment touch my soul in a sad and beautiful way. I'm glad you're still here ❤

  • @alexanderawagjan1755
    @alexanderawagjan1755 5 месяцев назад +56

    well, in regards of kaur's poem, you may say that the line breaks are adding to its meaning. lines are getting shorter and shorter, mimicing the diminishing returns and the damage dealt by attempts to please someone else while ignoring your own needs.
    so here you have it: both a proof of kaur's poem's added meaning and some justification for me getting a philology degree

    • @canti7951
      @canti7951 5 месяцев назад +4

      To me, anything can have an added meaning you can read into. I think good poetry is a difference of how well it illicits thinking and feeling from the reader, not necessarily the quality or depth of the meaning that could be added to it. An example I always see would be stories found in not so great movies but nonetheless very useful for philosophy professors to teach a concept.

    • @theflyingspaget
      @theflyingspaget 5 месяцев назад +3

      ​@@canti7951this is why I resonated so much with the AI poetry video, I don't care that a machine wrote all this garbage, I care more about reading into it and finding my own meaning in the madness. Granted, that's not really possible anymore as LLMs get more sophisticated and start churning out bland cookie cutter poems rather than absurdist masterpieces, but I'm sure I can get a janky enought AI to give me something interesting to chew on.

  • @juliatoumaki9704
    @juliatoumaki9704 5 месяцев назад +3

    when i got to the part with mahmoud darwish i went YEAH!!! out loud because i just love his work. so much. my favourite poem of his is ila oummi (to my mother). recommend it so highly. also if anyone reading this understands arabic i strongly recommend listening to a reading of it or the song version by marcel khalife it is SO impactful.

  • @jacob6386
    @jacob6386 5 месяцев назад +25

    “The morning after I killed myself” makes me simultaneously incredibly happy and extremely proud that I’m still here, but also sad and ashamed that I ever thought of leaving. I watched this video sitting across from my father, who would save my life if he could. Someday I may kill myself, and someday I may never think of suicide again. I’m sure the real future is somewhere in between, but that poem makes me cry and I don’t have the guts to look at my father while I read it, so I walked quickly downstairs and wept. Thanks for giving me perspective, man, I love this world as much as I hate it, and would like to stick around for as long as I can, even if it’s just for my father.

  • @efoxkitsune9493
    @efoxkitsune9493 5 месяцев назад +5

    Damn... I've heard "The Morning After I Killed Myself" before, but it still made me cry. I'm sitting here on the floor, packing for my trip, and crying.

  • @JNReditz
    @JNReditz 5 месяцев назад +10

    The rupi kaur poem predicted your angle by delivering its meaning bluntly, the poem is, by its own admission, not enough for anyone else. It is a piece of literature crafted only to the failed delegation and enlightenment of the author, with hope of siphoning off extraordinary meaning seemingly out of reach. It is a living contradiction, and, ironically, stayed with you long enough to contextualize and prop up another poem. It’s the same way the art community despises Thomas Kinkade superficially for having no staying power or memorability, yet he is everywhere and concurrently relevant even to his most devoted objectors. At a certain point, it’s best to look back and consider if the work lacks, or we lack. Sometimes there is ecstasy in surrender

    • @canti7951
      @canti7951 5 месяцев назад

      If your poem causes other people to prop up a better poem, I don't think that's a good thing.
      Sure, I think more than anything, poems like that are more symptomatic to where we are in society. It's the poems that are accessible to the masses that tell us a lot about our society. Likewise, it's the movies that are accessible to the masses that tell us a lot about our society. It doesn't mean Marvel movies are actually artistic, they are for the industry first and foremost. Likewise, that poem is very in line with social media virality.
      Still, even if you're corny I think you should continue creating if you wish to do so. The creator of that poem may be being genuine, even if it came across as superficial social media content, it might not be for some. It's just that it seems like you're projecting your own meaning into it when you say the poem predicted the criticism. I don't buy into that at all.

    • @canti7951
      @canti7951 5 месяцев назад

      Plus, plenty of "bad" art actually stays with you as they are attention grabbing or worthy of critique and discussion. But ofc, you can't judge the value of art by the attention they receive.

  • @enricobianchi4499
    @enricobianchi4499 5 месяцев назад +20

    The part with the orange trees and the single cloud in particular made me tear up a little bit. Somehow it manages to capture how the beauty of simple things can be extremely intense at times. It reminded me of taking psychedelics. I could work at it my whole life and never come up with a better arrangement of words to try to convince someone not to kill themselves.

  • @goodoldfashioned
    @goodoldfashioned 5 месяцев назад +4

    Mahmoud Darwish mentioned didn't expect that. He is taught in schools in many Arab countries.

  • @khulegubuyandelger8140
    @khulegubuyandelger8140 4 месяца назад +3

    Sam Pink’s poem also seems to a reference to the Haiku by Matsuo Basho:
    Old pond - frogs jumped in - sound of water.
    This haiku also mentions a hopping frog, and perhaps my interpretation is that this is Pink’s reaction to the haiku itself, “like that’s it? What the f*** man!”

  • @tangentfox4677
    @tangentfox4677 5 месяцев назад +5

    The first poem here.. I was immediately torn between "oh, insta-poetry" and "no wait" because it first made me laugh, then made me question why I'm still thinking about it, then you went into others' reactions and I just feel them. It's unironically a good poem, even if couched in the aesthetic of bad poetry.

  • @horusreloaded6387
    @horusreloaded6387 5 месяцев назад +5

    I don't know why but things like the fourth poem always create an unintended effect on me.
    It is beautiful and emotional and it creates an impact. But for me, the impact is opposite of what the poet intended.
    Today I opened up the app I keep all my poems in. There were several single sentences, they are not poems but they were emotionally dense when I wrote them. Some I wish I remembered when I wrote them ("This close to liking life." is mystery).
    And there is one related here, "I want to [...] most in days like these." O remember when I wrote it. On evening, a coworker was giving me a ride to home. It was a cold night but the car was warm. The coworker was energetic, saluting every passing truck on the highway with the horn, because he was so in love with trucks. Later he quit to become a truck driver. I don't remember the song exactly, likely it was a radio station playing a type of traditional songs. It was a peaceful night, and I felt happy. And I want to [...] most in days like those.

  • @BlisaBLisa
    @BlisaBLisa 2 месяца назад +1

    did not expect the last one to make me cry alright

  • @KrillerFish
    @KrillerFish 5 месяцев назад +4

    I absolutely love what you said when bringing up insta poetry. I think art is so much more enjoyable and valuable when it can be interpreted in different ways. It really helps people connect with the art and that’s the most important part of creating it (at least for me). You put it into words for me, so thank you!

  • @RyuksApple
    @RyuksApple 5 месяцев назад +3

    Okay, challenge accepted on the Kaur poem.
    By structuring the line breaks as she has, she isolates and centers the the thought that 'you will never be enough', mimicking the common thought process in people who would identify with the first line 'if you are not enough for yourself', in a way that feeds back on itself like a spiral.
    The final line 'for someone else' sets up a bit of a dual meaning. The surface meaning is that you need to heal yourself before you can form meaningful attachment with someone else, implying that you should focus on yourself. But by separating it out, the line takes on a second meaning, suggesting that when you're in an especially bad place, it can be easier to work on yourself if you're doing it 'for someone else'.
    This duality of meaning is reinforced by line drawing. It can be interpreted either as two people navigating the spiral together, or as a single person turning inward to face themselves as a refuge from the spiral.
    The duality reflects the complexity of needing to heal, but longing for companionship, as well as the often contradictory advice that people in that situation often get.
    I almost certainly wouldn't have read into it that much if I wasn't asked to, but I think that analysis holds up. More thought than I've ever tried to put into a poem like that 😅

  • @raddioli
    @raddioli 5 месяцев назад +3

    I've cried over poetry only twice in my life. The fourth poem marks the second time.

  • @oreo3232
    @oreo3232 5 месяцев назад +5

    13:02 Just the first paragraph brought me to tears. I had to pause the video. What a beautiful poem.

  • @globblin1734
    @globblin1734 5 месяцев назад +2

    The morning after I killed myself just always makes me cry. I know too many people who went and left

  • @a.m1k
    @a.m1k 5 месяцев назад +1

    Holy shit I wasn’t expecting to start sobbing at the last poem

  • @DrGold-ks1mp
    @DrGold-ks1mp 5 месяцев назад +6

    i was just checking your channel to see if you'd uploaded and here we are, love the content!

  • @KendallM0219
    @KendallM0219 5 месяцев назад

    Every time I watch a video of yours I go back through your catalogue because your work is so palatable and it’s really informative. Thank you for that. You expose people to things they would’ve never looked at in some instances and your opinion is very valuable.
    Thank You

  • @baz3110
    @baz3110 5 месяцев назад +2

    you mention some sources i just studied this last semester, im delightfully surprised and love your analyses :)

  • @thesunrising4982
    @thesunrising4982 5 месяцев назад

    finally found a good channel about poetry! I've discovered r\poetry for myself a couple of weeks ago and have been blown away by some poems. Thank you! Subscribed.

  • @lavender3717
    @lavender3717 5 месяцев назад +1

    Your channel inspired me to take a poetry course recently. I really enjoy your videos.

  • @nathanmartin3779
    @nathanmartin3779 5 месяцев назад +2

    Keep it up! You've long since been my favorite channel, and I really appreciate all the work!

  • @Maxarcc
    @Maxarcc 5 месяцев назад +3

    I'd say there is at least a few interesting layers to Rupi Kaur's poem. Firstly, you could interpret it as closing yourself off for love because you don't ever feel worthy for someone else, or; you could interpret it as attracting people as critical of you as you are of yourself, or; you could interpret it as not being able to give someone else authentic love because you're too preoccupied with smothering parts of yourself the other person yearns for. I wouldn't call it great because of its form, but I would call it redeemable.

  • @bearful
    @bearful 5 месяцев назад +1

    i love your channel :^) and thanks for being inclusive. i went to school in germany and i feel my teachers didn't do a good job teaching me the joy of poetry. now that im not an edgy teenager anymore, im trying to educate myself on poetry that isn't my own or my friends'. you make it very accessible & entertaining. i appreciate it.

  • @sinisterpuddle6655
    @sinisterpuddle6655 5 месяцев назад +1

    Masks has been my favorite poem for a long time. Always loved Silverstein

  • @deadxdivine
    @deadxdivine 5 месяцев назад +1

    i cant even put into words how much the morning after i killed myself means to me. ive attempted suicide before so it just hits so deeply, it makes me cry every time i read it

  • @totallyinteresting68
    @totallyinteresting68 5 месяцев назад +5

    I've never been this early in my life. I love your vids!

  • @zhylkos
    @zhylkos 5 месяцев назад +1

    I can't fucking believe Rupi Kaur published that in an actual poetry book.

  • @Ylva-xv4fz
    @Ylva-xv4fz 5 месяцев назад +1

    Thank you thank you thank you. For teaching me poetry in such a sincere way, and for reading, especially the last one, aloud so captivatingly well.

  • @dr.chickenfingers5696
    @dr.chickenfingers5696 5 месяцев назад +1

    Man I’m not even into poetry and I’ve been really enjoying your videos. Please if you see this have a nice rest of your day/night

  • @orterves
    @orterves 5 месяцев назад +1

    11:42 if presidents and prime ministers had to fight in the conflicts they started, we would be ruled by warlords

  • @DuckyZockt
    @DuckyZockt 5 месяцев назад +1

    What I really like about 'Piece a shit' is the dual interpretation the phrase 'it's like' opens up. The most obvious one is probably 'it' referring to the situation itself and thus the following 'what the fuck man' being uttered by the speaker, with them declaring the frog a piece a shit, hopping away after encountering the supposedly well-meaning speaker.
    But 'it's like' could also refer to the frog speaking/thinking - in that interpretation the frog utters 'what the fuck man', after encountering the speaker, the piece a shit thus being the human intruding on the frogs territory and forcing it to hop away.
    Neat how language works.

  • @phuongpenca
    @phuongpenca 5 месяцев назад +1

    i just cried so hard dude. awesome video

  • @velvetadler8692
    @velvetadler8692 5 месяцев назад +4

    reading "masks" through a trans lens is so interesting, and i found it funny that i (a trans person) had never considered it from that perspective haha just goes to show that i really need to work on my literary analysis skills

  • @efoxkitsune9493
    @efoxkitsune9493 5 месяцев назад +1

    "Isn't the point of art less what people put into it, and more what people get out of it?"
    - Todd Chavez

  • @jcc195
    @jcc195 5 месяцев назад +2

    reading into the kaur poem like you told me to (4:08):
    "enough" is a versatile, multifaceted word. being "enough" might mean "not needing any improvement" or "acceptable" or "sufficient for at least one specific use" or other related things. the statement kaur reproduces in this poem is a trite one, encouraging people to accept themselves, but its speakers would tend not to say that people should dispense with self-improvement. societally, we expect people not to grow complacent with themselves. but, in romantic and other intimate relationships, "enough" may mean something else, something more complacent. a partner or friend is often expected to accept you unconditionally, seeing your current self as not necessarily needing improvement. is kaur pointing to a contradiction in conversations about love of self vs. love of others? alternatively, we could see her as critiquing the framing of the statement. the third line serves as a volta, inserting a second (albeit hypothetical) character into the poem. by breaking the lines in this way, she may be calling attention to the awkwardness of phrasing this self-love mantra in terms of our lovability to others. shouldn't i love myself without any regard for how others may see me? further, in presenting this prepackaged platitude as a poem, kaur may be doing for poetry what marcel duchamp did for sculpture. much of what we read in poetry collections, like what we view in art museums, may or may not be any more meaningful than the nuggets of wisdom we hear from our friends, our social media feeds, and other informal channels.
    [i've got to admit, none of this was actually in the poem.]

  • @AMadMage
    @AMadMage 5 месяцев назад +2

    Since you mentioned the Palestinian resistance author, I thought it would be worth mentioning another poem that got a lot of traction on the subreddit, which was 'Oh Rascal Children Of Gaza' by Khaled Juma.

  • @conductor4861
    @conductor4861 5 месяцев назад

    Fantastic vid! IEach of these poems left me with something to think about. Thank you for sharing, I would've never expected to go to reddit for poetry :)

  • @gray7035
    @gray7035 5 месяцев назад +5

    Just to touch on the trans aspect of this video. All it took for me was 1 class session in my sex ed unit that taught me that being trans and queer was normal. Most kids probably blew that off, but it stuck with me. That was the seed that has taken me to where I am now, living in a household that doesn't abuse me, changing my body and hormones to better serve my own happiness, with people that I love and who love me for who I am.
    1 class session. I was not converted. I was not brain washed. I was told that it was okay to be me and that I was allowed to explore what that meant

  • @elizabethduarte1334
    @elizabethduarte1334 5 месяцев назад

    I wasn’t expecting to cry this video, thanks. 14:11

  • @thomasgeorggoenitzer
    @thomasgeorggoenitzer 5 месяцев назад +1

    I honestly think Piece A Shit is the best poem in this video by far. It's short, fun, relatable, and you instantly memorize it after reading it just once. The day after I killed myself is also really good, has a very interesting concept and gets you choked up, I just wish (and that's criticism for Masks and A Reminder as well) that it left a bit more open for the reader to unpack themselves. With The day... it't mainly the ending that I find a bit too obvious for its own good. Poetry is at its strongest and especially most rewarding when the reader has to work for it a bit. But I totally understand that the poets just wanted to appeal to a wide audience. That's probably why these poems are so popular on Reddit: they can be enjoyed by people that don't usually read/like poetry.

  • @phangkuanhoong7967
    @phangkuanhoong7967 5 месяцев назад

    I love this. Both the poems and the interpretations :) thank you!

  • @its_nifler
    @its_nifler 8 дней назад

    Kaur's poem reads to me like a near direct quote from rupaul: "if you cant love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?"
    Kaur, unlike rupaul, states it without question. I believe this could be an answer to rupaul, a dialogue between the two..
    Or it simply highlights the idea that universal truths are so easy to commercialize: simply stamping a name by them reads cliché.
    And how the aspect of a poem that seemingly matters least - it's signature - could completely block, or change, the overall meaning.
    😁

  • @wittykittywoes
    @wittykittywoes 5 месяцев назад

    With the first poem, it makes me think about the realization of how much you will never see. There will be a million frogs you will never see. Its very existence reminds you how little you are. How big the world is and how vast time is. Thanks, frog.

  • @MAEVELOVE1
    @MAEVELOVE1 5 месяцев назад +3

    Honestly I resent the last poem. As someone who's struggled with Su*cidal thoughts and attempted before it feels inaccurate. Meggie doesn't recall any of the pain she experienced, she doesn't explore how noticing the beautiful things in life for one day changes how any day after that would feel. As if people who take their own lives are incapable of seeing wonderful things in life. She misses how sometimes and for some people everything reminds them of how much pain they feel, or rather in this case felt... How much pain do the people in this poem feel as well? What if the elderly woman hates her husbands tobacco habits? Why should we assume the kid down the street or his mother is feeling a certain way? What if we had gone into another place in this poem, maybe one that makes the author sad? I understand how the poem tries to see everything in a positive manner but that's not how I think it would actually feel. Especially because I know what life feels like the day after an attempt. It's messy. It's not remembering the good in everything, it's hurting, it's regretting what you did and that regret can take many different forms. For me it's questioning everything. Because nothing is as simple as this poem suggests.
    That being said I have a couple more points.
    1. It has been about 3 months since my last (hopefully!!) attempt and I am doing much better. Nothing is easy and everyday sort of feels like the day after the day after (etc.) I killed myself. For everyone struggling you don't have to feel as positively (albeit under the given context) as this poem does. Sometimes you will though, I hope, and I hope you grab those times and love them as much as you can. Accept the bad times too, they matter. After all it's all living.
    2. I wish this poem looked forward more. Looking backwards is the bane of my existence and reminiscing on bad times is especially. For me when I think about things that hurt me or even things that healed me it helps when I think about what the future could hold for me in relation to those things. A bad parent could remind me how much I learned from them whether it be on what I admired or resented about them, it could give me hope that I might be just as much better as I can be and not make their mistakes if I have kids! A bad relationship is sort of the same. Bad choices are just the pre-requisite class to good choices 101. But also, keep in mind its okay to fail classes. That being said I might have made a bad choice of words sometime in this but I'll take criticism.
    3. I don't want you to be sad so go do something that makes you happy? Actually, do whatever you want. It's your life, just try to keep living it.

    • @baguettegott3409
      @baguettegott3409 3 месяца назад

      I guess none of us know how accurate it is because neither you nor the author has died before. I know I've read from people who have tried jumping off of a bidge and surprisingly survived that as they fell, every single problem in their life seemed utterly solvable and not at all a reason to give up on all the good things, except for the one very large problem that they were currently falling to their (presumed) death.
      I think it would feel exactly like in the poem. But then again I am not actively s*icidal, and not even passively anymore either. If somebody can imagine feeling like that, if it sounds like a real possibility and not a lie, then they probably wouldn't want to die.

    • @MAEVELOVE1
      @MAEVELOVE1 3 месяца назад

      @@baguettegott3409 I did think about how my experience wouldn't match up with everyone else's. I also felt a large sense of relief over the next few days after my attempt, for me everything even seemed doable and that I could make it through my hardships. It's a mindset I hold with me today and has changed my view of my life significantly. I suppose I should have explained that more, I tried to with the whole take your positive moments and hold onto them. However I was not just suddenly okay, and what I really wanted to explain was that not having those feelings after or during an attempt is okay, as I think it could be scary and disappointing to not have them if you thought "everyone else did".

  • @LAngel2REAL
    @LAngel2REAL 5 месяцев назад +1

    I love "A Reminder"

  • @tomtinley3262
    @tomtinley3262 5 месяцев назад

    Tried to listen to a video while I lay in bed and now I’m crying at the morning after I killed myself

  • @atlus6772
    @atlus6772 5 месяцев назад +2

    Hi, Roughest Drafts! If it's ok to make suggestions, could I possibly suggest making a video on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly poem? I'm not trying to be a stan or anything. I just think you might like it.

  • @junelogalbo9740
    @junelogalbo9740 5 месяцев назад +1

    I can say first hand you’ve hit the nail on the head with your Transgender interpretation of Masks. Back when I was in high school in the Midwest, I felt constantly alienated. Only when I wore a dress to my senior homecoming did I first meet another person like me at my school. She would have kept up her mask and walked right on by without knowing I was right there had I been wearing the mask

  • @connormeredith3144
    @connormeredith3144 5 месяцев назад

    Wow, all of those made me feel so much.

  • @UltimateKyuubiFox
    @UltimateKyuubiFox 5 месяцев назад +1

    If you are not enough for yourself
    Who will be enough for you?
    What chalice, hall-full,
    Could sustain both?
    You’ll be not two.

  • @JemRochelle
    @JemRochelle 5 месяцев назад

    Great video, as always!

  • @Bipolar.Baddie
    @Bipolar.Baddie 5 месяцев назад

    Mahmoud Darwish's poetry is so important to me because it's defiant. Palestinians have had so much taken from them in such little time, yet they refuse to surrender. Palestinian poetry is born from love and solidarity, and reminds me of the works of Black poets like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and many others. Despite living in an explicitly anti-Black society, their poems came from a place of hope and self-love. Bigots have always made art, but their art is almost always forgotten, as it comes from a place of hate and ignorance, whereas oppressed people create art to inspire each other and express the emotions caused by oppression.

  • @Dee_Da1
    @Dee_Da1 5 месяцев назад

    Pretty good selection

  • @computalive7611
    @computalive7611 5 месяцев назад

    I watched this video after one about the take over of ai. This really made me feel better. Poetry proves that humans have souls.

  • @brezelnbrezeln
    @brezelnbrezeln 5 месяцев назад +7

    I love you man

  • @caseyw1288
    @caseyw1288 5 месяцев назад +1

    My analysis of the Rupi Kaur poem:
    I think this poem is ripe for a deconstructionist reading. You say the poem has a very straightforward message, but I'd argue that it has two equally valid messages depending on how you interpret the tone. If, as I suspect Kaur intended, you read it as optimistic, it means that in order to be loved by someone else, you must first learn to love yourself. It provides a sort of "game plan" for becoming loved---you need to make peace with yourself as an individual. You can stop relying on others for validation, and when you do, you will find a much more fulfilling relationship, both with them, and with yourself.
    However, you can also read this poem pessimistically. If a reader finds it hard to imagine ever being enough for themself, this poem punches them in the face with the additional slight that they will ALSO never be valued by others. It becomes a description of a vicious cycle---because you do not like yourself, others will become bored with supporting you, or outright exploit you. Because others do not value you, you will find it harder and harder to love yourself. Humans are social creatures, and once the downward spiral progresses enough, it can be hard to ever pull yourself out.
    Perhaps the double nature of this poem holds a secret meaning in itself---that both of these poems are accurate descriptions. Its meaning is not necessarily in its text but in how the reader chooses to interpret the tone, optimistic or pessimistic. The meaning is dependent on the reader's choice to interpret it a specific way, suggesting that your own self esteem and relationships with others are not predetermined, but entirely in your own hands.

  • @Detachedpoet224
    @Detachedpoet224 5 месяцев назад +1

    I noticed your voice changing during the last poem. I hope you're doing ok, much love to you

  • @FishareFriendsNotFood972
    @FishareFriendsNotFood972 5 месяцев назад +4

    You just shouted out Judith Butler! My respect for you, sir, just went through the roof. 🙂

  • @theflyingspaget
    @theflyingspaget 5 месяцев назад

    Commenting before I watch this but like, didn't Big Joel make a video like this and come to the conclusion that the most upvoted posts aren't what Reddit considers the best, it's what the most Redditors saw and said "huh, that's neat" and clicked the updoot button on?

  • @JimWingen
    @JimWingen 11 дней назад

    The sands of time turns kings to khans
    Men to bones
    Living legends to fading myths
    Mountains to oceans
    And rivers to sand
    And yet i remain. Because i am. While they are.

  • @soniachauhan4459
    @soniachauhan4459 5 месяцев назад

    The frog poem was the one.

  • @fakajuu9519
    @fakajuu9519 5 месяцев назад +2

    Cried a bit.

  • @its_nifler
    @its_nifler 5 месяцев назад +1

    Reading too much into things is the base of interesting poetry. Proove me wrong😅

  • @connorstoyle2071
    @connorstoyle2071 5 месяцев назад

    IMO the most likely to be intentional double meaning in the frog poem is the third line, "it's like". This could be a common phrase that prefaces the speaker's thought and is pretty void of meaning. Or, "it" could refer to the frog, who is called "it" in the previous line also. In this second interpretation, the frog is 'like' "what the fuck man" to the speaker, which adds to the disgust and possibly self-pity towards the speaker.

  • @tana-mm8bp
    @tana-mm8bp 5 месяцев назад

    I would recomend "Sweetdark" by Savannah Brown

  • @ManzuraDosnazarova
    @ManzuraDosnazarova 5 месяцев назад +2

    Loving you was painful, letting go hurts much,
    The thought of missing you again makes my soul sigh.
    I have never believed I could love someone as such,
    I have never believed that love could be this blind.
    From smiling for no reason, to trying to hold back tears,
    Praying for lasting love even you were fading away.
    From a man who had my heart
    to a man who no longer cares,
    But to a man who used to care,
    My love for him will stay.
    Why did you steal me from all if you couldn't keep me?
    What did she have you loved that I could never have?
    It's not you ,it was me , I should have let you free,
    Long before I knew that one day you could stab.

  • @suedonnym
    @suedonnym 5 месяцев назад +1

    i really dislike "the morning after i killed myself" but then again i went in with expectations that didn’t map onto the poem itself. i thought it would be about a "regular" day following a failed suicide attempt that went unnoticed, from the perspective of someone intimately familiar with a longing for death. instead it just felt rather sappy and generic

    • @baguettegott3409
      @baguettegott3409 3 месяца назад

      I honestly thought that at first too. But I mean, what can you say, life is pretty sappy and generic. I still liked it. Maybe you can write the poem you thought it was going to be yourself.

  • @guylikesbananas3986
    @guylikesbananas3986 5 месяцев назад

    1 day ago
    5.6K view
    Lol what (the frog)

  • @aze4308
    @aze4308 5 месяцев назад

    nice

  • @og666
    @og666 5 месяцев назад

    oh no

  • @rauldjvp3053
    @rauldjvp3053 5 месяцев назад +1

    If you thought of Judith Butler while reading a Silverstein poem, you can give the same benefit of the doubt to rupi kaur or whoever else

  • @brettonjohansen1619
    @brettonjohansen1619 5 месяцев назад

    Man I'm a hater. I didn't like any of those lol, except the first one kinda.

  • @transrightsbaybee
    @transrightsbaybee 5 месяцев назад +1

    how r u gonna misgender judth butler they're like the most famous they

    • @transrightsbaybee
      @transrightsbaybee 5 месяцев назад +2

      to be clear i loved the video and the trans reading of the shel silverstein poem was my favorite part but like bruh they invented they/them pronouns lol

    • @AugustRx
      @AugustRx 5 месяцев назад +1

      pinned comment :)

  • @cameroniizuka
    @cameroniizuka 5 месяцев назад +1

    the vid's semantic note that what's "happening in gaza" isn't war almost made me choke. Yes, it's not a war, so then call it what it is?! Genocide, folks. As of July 2024 it's been almost 10 months on an 80+ year history of indigenous theft, settler colonialism, and capitalist militarization. Kind of cringe to hear that kind of passive denial happening here of all places. Free palestine. May art and poetry liberate us all, and with the bravery to call injustice out as it is.

  • @Novestador
    @Novestador 5 месяцев назад

    "The situation in Gaza isn't a war since Gaza is an occupied territory and doesn't have a standing army"
    This is mostly untrue.
    War has no formal definition. Instead, we would define it as an International Armed Conflict or a Non-International Armed Conflict. By definition, if you say that Gaza is occupied territory, then it would be an IAC with Hamas being the opposing state entity. Also, having a standing army is not a requirement for an IAC. Several high-profile nations do not have a standing army such as Panama, Iceland, and Costa Rica.

    • @mckenziepearmain
      @mckenziepearmain 5 месяцев назад +2

      my interpretation of that line was more like, how can you call it a war when such gross humanitarian violations are happening to a civilian population by the state that is occupying them? (which violates several geneva conventions). since war lacks a concrete definition as you pointed out, it was probably just an oversight on their end. especially since it’s hard to call something that is so blatantly a g*nocide and an ethnic cleansing a “war.”

    • @Novestador
      @Novestador 5 месяцев назад

      ​@@mckenziepearmainGenocide according to Article 2 requires intent. Israel uses collateral damage estimates to determine whether a strike is of military value. As a result, genocide accusations are false because it fails mens rea.
      Ethnic cleansing is not illegal nor is it necessarily immoral. One of Germany's casus belli during WWII was the protection of ethnic Germans in it's neighboring states. As it acquired land through conquest, more ethnic Germans were moved into these territories. After it was defeated, these nations forcibly removed these Germans to prevent Germany from using it as a justification for war again. In the modern day, Russia used the same justification for its war with Ukraine. If Ukraine recaptures all lost territory, we will likely see this happen again. As a result, it would be hard to criminalize and demonize ex facie.
      It is reasonable to criticize Israel's conduct, however, these criticisms must be based on fact. Otherwise, these false claims will take valid criticisms down with them.

    • @Novestador
      @Novestador 5 месяцев назад

      ​@@mckenziepearmain Sorry, RUclips keeps deleting my response.
      G*nocide is defined in Article 2 and requires intent to be proven. In regards to Gaza, Israel has been proven to do CDE prior to striking a target. This means that Israels conduct in Gaza fails the mens rea requirement of Article 2.
      Ethnic cleansing is neither illegal nor necessarily immoral. Germany's casus belli for WWII was the protection of ethnic Germans in neighboring states. After the war, these neighboring states removed these ethnic German populations to prevent this strategy from being used again.
      One can reasonably make criticisms of Israel, however, these criticisms need to be based on fact.

    • @Novestador
      @Novestador 5 месяцев назад

      @@mckenziepearmain Sorry, RUclips keeps deleting my response.
      G*nocide is defined in Article 2 and requires intent to be proven. In regards to Gaza, Israel has been proven to do CDE before striking a target. This means that Israels conduct in Gaza fails the mens rea requirement of Article 2.
      EC is neither illegal nor necessarily immoral. Germany's casus belli for WWII was the protection of ethnic Germans in neighboring states. After the war, these neighboring states removed these ethnic German populations to prevent this strategy from being used again.

    • @Novestador
      @Novestador 5 месяцев назад

      @@mckenziepearmain Sorry, RUclips keeps deleting my response.
      G*nocide is defined in Article 2 and requires intent to be proven. In regards to Gaza, Israel has been proven to do CDE prior to striking a target. This means that Israels conduct in Gaza fails the mens rea requirement of Article 2.

  • @Joemama-oq9of
    @Joemama-oq9of 5 месяцев назад +1

    44 views in five minutes? You really fell off

  • @mckenziepearmain
    @mckenziepearmain 5 месяцев назад +1

    thanks for highlighting so many important topics in this video: trans individuals, the suffering of P*lestine, mental health and s*icide. this was an awesome video, you are the best and handle thing with so much respect and kindness 🤍