Poems

I liked the poem playroom. I think that this poem has underlying themes about colonialism if its analysed fully. The line “no one skin colored like theirs, freaks like me. Lucky the barbies needed their bodies” This line shows she identifies with the beanie babies and sees herself as them in this roleplay she is portraying which at first seems to be a type of self hatred and self deprication by hurting herself by portraying white people hurting her. But actually the beanie babies are just a symbol of minority groups that were raped and conquered by colonialists. And how men would rape women when they colonialised areas.

In the line “I never had more than one… they were rarer in that way” echoes how white people can talk about asian people sometimes by saying “oh your so exotic” or that theyre their asian friend. and how some have only encountered one asian person in their lives.

In the line” perverted noahs arc kept from multiplying” Is how colonialists saw the minoirty groups to be like wild animals, with dehumanistaion, who needed to have their populations controlled, in the same way they would try stop populations in areas from growing. The line perveted noahs arc brings the themes of christinaity which is what colonialists brought with them as they believed it was their right to pillage and such. This religous theme is brought again in the lines “Legions of identical white woman, skin glowing like pearl milk, magnificent, as they stroemed the gates of the zoo conquered each animal one limb at a time” The alliteration makes the lines flow nicely and seems powerful with milk magnifcient white women. They are portrayed positively and gloriously like archanegls coming down to punish humanity for their sins. The word conquered is quite literal here for conquering the people. One limb at a time here even sounding more violent.

 

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