Let these birds out

Abstract

The following collection of original poems consists of new pieces written this autumn as well as revised versions of pieces I began when I was fifteen years old. Bits of my younger self are preserved in this thesis. My work is inspired by the raw, often vicious nature of Richard Siken’s poetry whose words tear open the angsty adolescent inside of me and get to the very heart of all pain. Recently, I’ve been touched by Maggie Smith’s work, its brazen honesty wrapped in eloquence. The concise yet poignant observations of Mary Oliver, whose work is seemingly always bent toward finding beauty in life, certainly played a part in developing the themes of my project. I shrink at the idea of trying to explain what this collection is about. In the thesis, I attempt to paint portraits, to capture the essence of the people, places, and elements of my environment that have most influenced my identity up until now. I suppose it conveys my evolving attitudes toward family and friendship and spirituality and the imminent end of everything. When I was younger, I was perpetually anxious about lack of control, death, and the end of the world. But by the end of the thesis, I have perhaps found some peace in the notion of apocalypse, of everything falling apart. I suppose this thesis may be an ode to optimistic nihilism, accepting that nothing really matters, and I should fully embrace the immediate world around me while I still can. And I suppose it’s maybe about birds. I did not realize that birds were such a significant theme in my life until I put these poems together. As Abraham Maslow says, “To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous.” It sounds cliche, but I’ve found great meaning in this. I quite adore being alive, in this ordinary place. I wouldn’t know how to write about anything else.