Of mountains and rivers without end

[puchikonyo]

Instructions

Fuel filler cap
       -haven't I seen this before? The
       sunlight under the eaves, mottled
       shadow, on the knurled rim of
       dull silver metal.

Oil filler cap
       bright yellow,
       horns like a snail
       -the oil's down there-
       amber, clean, it
       falls back to its pit.

Oil drain plug
       so short,

Comments

[elwhyenen]

Poetry is more fun to read than to write imo 8D

and adfkasdklofsdf at first I thought this was a meme :D;;

[puchikonyo]

...but I'm terrible at analysing them somehow :'( My interpretation for this poem was quite off the mark. (though okay, I admit to have had a rather cursory first reading of it, but still.)

I've actually never really written much poetry personally xD; there's probably fun in both?~

LOLLL what, the 'Instructions' title gave you tht 'meme-like' impression? xD

[iceduelist]

I am not even good at analysing poetry in Thai... *but still wants to be a linguist* Well, practice makes perfect. XD;

[puchikonyo]

Poetry... is just different I guess. LOLL I get along better with prose and plays, me thinks.

practicepracticepractice. still not very good at it. :(( best of luck to us both?

[alistenhere]

I prefer poetry to plays anyday~
Prose is alright,but it really depends on the plot sometimes~

Poetry is much more fun! The hidden meanings, the metaphors,the intention of the writer,the voice of the 'speaker'~

In this case, I'm gonna whack it and guess that this poem, isn't complete~
Or are u just showing us an excerpt? Cos' if it just stops there, then the poem's just about stasis and unfulfilled dreams/passions/etc?

[puchikonyo]

no, that IS the entirety of the poem. LOLLL It is part of 'Mountains and Rivers Without End', a book of poetry by Gary Synder, who wrote it over like.... 40 years or something like that. o____O

the whole point of it is its 'uncompleteness' I guess. Apparently, this is literally about how you change the oil of the engine. On a metaphorical level, it is supposed to represent the inadequacy of language. It is a challenge to how we usually perceive things - how we take it for granted instead of 'seeing it as it really is'.
...and.... so on.

[alistenhere]

opps~ quite far off~
lol~

[puchikonyo]

i had initially thought it was about environmentalism .___. sigh, so hard.

[monst]

I like poetry too!:D But I'm always unsure how to interpret it

[puchikonyo]

its just.... really not easy sometimes. :XX especially for some poets.