by Tyler Doctor
The pillars have fallen
Imperfection displayed all over
A different image then what we previously knew it was
What will we do,
how will it be fixed
Will we rebuild to attempt previous perfection?
Is it obtainable
or something unable to ever be seen again
Not all is lost
pillars still rise from the ground
We can fix what it has become
Or no it is too late rebuild
we must tear and destroy
To recreate to the previous perfection
Or is this what perfection is?
Errors and disasters
that leave something not perfect
Is this what we must experience to reach a state which
We all seek?
While writing this poem I wanted to highlight how the setting of the painting doesn’t look the best. Rather than being a fully constructed group of pillars and stone it is not fully built and broken. I wanted to connect this with the idea of how perfection is perceived. Instead of seeing this as an imperfection because of its current state it is perfect the way it is. Cause in reality nothing will stay perfect and together so you have to acknowledge that and accept it. Finally accepting that fact will help you to see the true beauty of imperfection. We shouldn’t get rid of it, we should embrace it. It is no longer a complete structure but it is the remnants of something that was great. I placed a lot of question marks throughout the poem because I really wanted this to be a big group of questions someone would have to ask themselves. To think of their interpretation of the painting and their depiction of perfection.
I think I understand what you mean about the narrator contemplating what perfection really is. There are so many monuments that are only ruins of their former glory. The remnants, themselves, may not be beautiful by any means, but the fact that the monuments continue to stand after so much damage can make them beautiful, but not in appearance. I think broken monuments such as the ones in the painting are only beautiful as a concept and display of resilience over time. They are a wonder rather than a beauty.
Placing question marks throughout makes you think that the narrator of the poem is unsure of himself and not too sure of what he must to do with the ruins around him.
I really enjoyed this poem! I like how you took this painting that may not spark too many creative thoughts initially, and totally put a new meaning on it. Toggling with the idea of perfection is compelling and was a great way to tie in the “ruins”. I also liked the question mark at the end to emphasize the thought provoking aspect of what perfection might mean/entail.
I really appreciate how you took a piece of art that is relatively simple and created something from it. Your idea about beauty and imperfection is particularly compelling and I can understand how the piece lends itself to that perspective. I like the idea that even though a piece of art is damaged in someway, that it still is beautiful, but maybe in a different way than it once was.
I love when poems utilize rhetorical questions to suggest to the readers to think and ponder really what the message is conveying. I like that you only provide a couple end stops and everything else a continuous sentence with only one stanza. Technicality speaking I like this structure because it gives off emphasis on how crucial and important this time was. Also, it makes me feel like the perception is someone who has lived there and is witnessing the destruction of the buildings and the remains on what came to be. I like that you provide something that might typically have such a harsh and sad interpretation and create it to be something that explores the beauty in originality. Great Job!