Poetic License Blog

"A Poem about Pain" Humanities Revelation

I read and analyzed many poems before completing this blog, but the one that stuck with me the most was "A Poem about Pain" by David Budbill. It is a lyric poem, a statement of the narrator's feelings rather than a story. This poem intends to explain how selfish you can be while in pain. The first stanza of the mere five states that the narrator can feel how they are dissociating from the world around them. He also refers to his father with little context. It can be assumed the narrator had lost their father prior in his life. They also introduce the second stanza or couplet, as only two lines are used. The second and third stanzas explain how the importance of the world around you lessens until it doesn't matter when you're in great pain. In the fourth and fifth stanzas, the narrator shows that he tries to seek empathy for his peers, but in the end, their pain does not measure up to the pain he is experiencing. Every part of this poem is related to the symbolism it attempts to portray; pain. How the narrator experiences this pain, empathizes with this pain, and how he experiences his pain. There is little to no rhyme, metaphor, or imagery in this poem, so it relies heavily on its symbolism and almost consistent couplet pattern. This poem's diction or word choice is also evident, with one word that stands out. The poem primarily relies on denotation and elementary wording aside from "magnanimous." This word stands out because the narrator wanted to enhance its vital meaning. Magnanimous means empathetic, he uses this to show how desperately he wishes to be compassionate, but his pain is just too significant.

This poem drew me in because it spoke truth to pain. I love how the narrator did not reveal the identity of his pain. As a result, this poem can relate to many people. In my eyes, it speaks to depression. A battle so many fight alone because they disconnect from the world, as Budbill explained in the first stanza. Individuals experiencing depression often have the world undermining their misery because people are experiencing physical pain in the world. Budbill spoke to this in stanza four by stating, "I think about my friends with dementia, cancer, arthritis, and how much more pain they are in than I am." Yes, they may be in more pain, but it is a different type of pain. Everyone's pain is valid and should be treated. Moreover, because this beautiful and honest poem can be interpreted for all pain, it furthers my point that all heartache is valid.

Reference

Budbill, David. “A Poem about Pain by David Budbill.” Poetry Foundation, 27 July 2021, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147692/a-poem-about-pain.