Shreya Baronia | Week 9: Just a Sip of Power
Photo credit: Sattayamit, Tanaphong. "Dark Sorcerers Ember A hooded figure possibly evil manipulates fiery energy Symbolizing darkness magic power mystery. A hooded figure, possibly evil, manipulates fiery energy. Symbolizing darkness, magic, power, mystery, and dread. Can be used for display or montage your products. Empty Space for display your products, copy space ,banner, advertising. Generative AI." Dreamstime, https://www.dreamstime.com/dark-sorcerer-s-ember-hooded-figure-possibly-evil-manipulates-fiery-energy-symbolizing-darkness-magic-power-mystery-dread-image352101646. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
It starts again. A new victim. So many options. So many without success. So many without help.
Snap. Crack. Silence.
Another one gone, lost to the expanse. Another fool thinking it could harness what cannot be restricted. Another ignorant soul, not knowing the sacrifice required to hold me in its hands.
—
Floating in the water, with blue all around, nothing for miles across.
A push, a kick, a shove. People race by, rushing to meet the end.
Left behind, helpless.
A light flashes by. What was that? Where did it go?
Find it. Find it before it's too late.
A race against time,
A rush to the line,
Where did it go?
A light in the dark,
Reach it,
Hold it,
Feel it.
It surges through,
Drink like a man parched,
Eat like a man starved,
Breathe like a man drowning.
Finally, a purpose.
Ecstasy.
Think!
Run with the crowd.
Force through the fight.
So close to the end.
So close to the line.
Lungs burning,
Legs numb,
Reach the end.
Need more time.
A rock.
Trip and fall.
Stop.
It doesn't stop,
It reaches the heart,
It takes over,
Spreading.
It reaches the mind.
All goes dark.
Transformed.
Nothing left behind. Nothing but a shell of the mind.
Take revenge on everyone who pushed, shoved and kicked. Take revenge on everyone who watched the struggle. Take revenge on anyone.
So it goes, the powerless corrupted by power. Using what they never had to hurt those they never knew. Why should they care? They have the power in their hands.
—
An old proverb claims nothing is ever good in excess. As with everything else, power falls into this category. There is a fine line between having enough power and having too much of it. Enough power allows for the sharing of opinions and a working society, but too much power leads to arrogance and corruption. People stop fearing anything because they have power. Thus, It is crucial that the powerless get power. But, people should also be careful to not be too greedy with power, or they risk losing their humanity.
Hey Shreya! For starters, WOW! Seriously, your writing style is so impressive and I enjoy this deviation from a typical blog format. I am personally a huge fan of poetry, so clicking on your blog to find beautifully formatted poetry was such a treat. The title of your blog was super intriguing and really drew me in to learn more.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while to come up with, but I decided on my favorite line from your poem. I loved the parallelism (or is it anaphora? Looks like my rhetorical device skills could use some refreshing) in your stanza, “Drink like a man parched/Eat like a man starved/Breathe like a man drowning.” I think the way you phrased this is truly beautiful.
Aside from specifics, I generally loved your theme of the dangers of power. Your little paragraph at the end about the need for the powerless to gain power is such an interesting read and really had me pondering the imbalance of power in today’s society between the top 1% and the remaining 99%. It is true that too much power can strip a person of what makes them human.
Overall, I truly enjoyed reading your blog and I appreciated the format and style you chose to write in. Thank you for sharing such a meaningful piece of work!
Hello Shreya! I’ve read a lot of your writing unofficially, but this is the first time I can read your blog officially - And I must say it did not disappoint. Obviously, the elephant in the room is your creative choice to format your blog post as a poem, which I really enjoyed and which does a good job of adding your stylistic streak. I think you portrayed your two “characters” of “power” and the one desiring power very well, and you did a good job characterizing what people will do in the pursuit of power. I especially enjoyed the irony of the person trying to consume the power but in fact being consumed by power. And of course, I need to address your final paragraph, which gives us a further glimpse into your purpose in writing this and your thoughts on power. I think this was an excellent first blog post to start the year and I hope to read more great work from you in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi Shreya! I love how you wrote your blog posts in concise, short paragraphs but also with short poems which really grasp the essence of why excessive power is perilous. Power needs to be maintained in the right hands, not in the hands of those who would misuse it. I completely agree with you when you state that power has its limits. A small taste of power can lead to corruption and arrogance, making these individuals feel as if they can do anything without facing any consequences. This ignorant belief can lead to clouded judgement which also can cause these powerful individuals to set aside their morals and let their emotions override rationality. I also agree with the old proverb that you wrote about in which nothing is ever good if it is in excess since people can mistake that as freedom and recklessly use it which can negatively impact others around them, short-term and long-term.
ReplyDelete