(This poem will be appreciated and enjoyed more by the young adults familiar with western music)
Honest DISHONESTY
Before reading this poem, I want to say how I exactly got the idea of writing such a mess in the first place.
These days, I am a sucker for abstract poetry, heavy-themed lyrics and dynamic prose. I especially hear a lot of these kinds of writing styles in the music I listen to. For example, Dream Theater, one of my all-time favorite bands, wrote a song named “Octavarium” , a 24-minute long score composed of five separate epics, all together conveying the message that everything, no matter how unrelated they may seem at first glance, is connected. And they painted this message so interestingly and wonderfully during the third epic “Full Circle.” Mike Portnoy, the drummer of Dream Theater, wrote this epic in a way so interesting that I couldn’t help to hopelessly attempt his style myself! He wrote the lyrics by making several underlying references to his favorite media and people. By mashing together random songs, bands, titles, lyrics, movies and actors, Portony creates an unusual, yet vivid story to his audience.
With my mind all shook up, I decided to use today’s most popular songs, singers, artists, bands and lyrics to whip up a mess, with faint hopes of finding a connection in the mix (I did make about 2 references that are from the 1960’s). After much crossing, erasing and gluing together of words, I managed to gain hope in Dream Theater’s theme about universal connection after all. As writers and thinkers, we all try to find connections to create new ideas and thoughts, but we must not be afraid of linking even the most uncommon things. Our minds think in a thousand words per minute, and within that very minute ideas link to other concepts and themes in a branch-like fashion, quickly creating a tree of thought. The problem behind that, however, is that we have trouble keeping up with how ideas follow not only because we are unable to convey a thousand words per minute, but also because we are afraid of making a mess, of being wrong. But being wrong could be our very key of being original. We just need not be afraid of playing in the mud.
It’s easier said than done to be fearless of the strange, the weird and the wrong. I have a lot of fear to conquer myself. Nevertheless, I do hope that you enjoy my little mess that I made and I do hope you can mop away the grime in your own way to uncover your own, clean interpretation.
**Please keep in mind to read the references and underlying themes during or after the poem to help aid your quest in interpretation.
Honest DISHONESTY
Somewhere over the rainbow of my teenage dream
I usher Taylor to make me swift
On the floor, P!nk firework, a bad romance
Me & Mr. Jones
Rolling in the deep of last Friday night
You make me feel so F**kin’ perfect
Judas, will you hold it against me
The government hooker’s poker face?
Vanishing light of my pride
A lost soul, unclear scene
All-time low on such a high
Honesty dishonesty
There’s marina and the diamonds
Coldplaying in the pitbull
Maroon gonna take 5 now, lady anatabellum
At the payphone, call me maybe
Tell me now, where’s the lady
Gaga, love’s a battlefield
Oh na na what’s my name again?
Vanishing light of my pride
A lost soul, unclear scene
All-time low on such a high
Honesty dishonesty
Someone like you I need you
Now party rock on the straships
We R who We R, J fLO Rida, I go back to
Black eyed peas, I’m wide awake
Blow me one last kiss ho
Hey hey, yeah, yeah
Yeah baby I was born this way!
Vanishing light of my pride
A lost soul, unclear scene
All-time low on such a high
Honesty dishonesty
References made in poem (in order by stanza)
- “Somewhere over the Rainbow” ~by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole
- “Teenage Dream” ~by Katy Perry
- Usher (singer)
- Taylor Swift (singer)
- “On the Floor” ~by Jennifer Lopez
- P!NK (singer)
- “Firework” ~by Katty Perry
- “Bad Romance” ~by Lady Gaga
- “Me & Mr. Jones” ~by Amy Winehouse
- “Rolling in the Deep” ~by Adele
- “Last Friday Night” (T.G.I.F.) ~by Katy Perry
- “You Make Me Feel” ~by Cobra Starship
- “F**kin’ Perfect” ~by P!NK
- “Judas” ~by Lady Gaga
- “(Will You) Hold it against me” ~by Britney Spears
- “Government Hooker” ~by Lady Gaga
- “Poker Face” ~by Lady Gaga
- Marina & the Diamonds (band)
- Coldplay (band)
- Pitbull (singer)
- Maroon 5 (band)
- “Take 5” ~Classical Jazz number by Paul Desmond
- Lady Antebellum (singer)
- “Payphone” ~by Maroon 5
- “Call Me maybe?” ~by Carly Rae Jepsen
- “Lady” ~by Kenny Rogers
- Lady Gaga (singer)
- “(Love is a) Battlefield” ~by Jordan Sparks (or Pat Benatar depending on which title you hold close to)
- “(Oh Na Na ) What’s My Name” ~by Rihanna
- “Someone Like You” ~by Adele
- “I Need you Now” ~by Lady Antebellum
- “Party Rock” ~by LMFAO
- “Starships” ~by Nikki Manaj
- “We R Who We R” ~by Ke$ha
- J-LO (short for Jennifer Lopez)
- Flo Rida (singer)
- “(I Go) Back to Black” ~by Amy Winehouse
- Black Eyed Peas (band)
- “Wide Awake” ~by Katy Perry
- “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” ~by P!NK
- “Ho Hey!” ~by The Lumineers
- “Yeah” (x3) ~by Chris Brown
- “(Baby I Was) Born This Way” ~by Lady Gaga
A NOTE ON COLORS:
The three colors that are referenced in this poem (aided by band names and singers) is pink (P!NK), maroon (Maroon 5) and black (Black Eyed Peas). If you darken pink enough on the spectrum, it turns maroon. If you darken maroon enough, it will turn black. And all colors at their brightest and darkest are black and white in the end.
Sophia Chawala
Credit;squidoo.com