Well, I need to write a five paragraph essay addressing literary devices in this poem Ink by: Caitlin Steeves. Though what I really need help with is coming up with an "insightful" (as my teacher says) central idea with solid support in the text. I think I can figure out where to fit in stuff about literary devices, etc. because I don't want someone writing my essay for me... I just need help with ideas, thanks!!!

Ink
My heart is a purple eggplant
It sits deep and dark
Pulsating like a dream you can hold in your hand
Smooth, warm, and whispering
Look deep enough and you can see
My blood is streaked with ribbons of lime and patchouli
And the purest black ink
And if you look even deeper
When the sun hits me in just the right way . . .
I am completely transparent
And devoid of all that is tangible and able to be contained
For that moment
Even if you can't hold me
I can hold you
A heartbeat later I am whole and solid
My thoughts now opaque
Already the memory is only wisps of song
Kissing my ears and encircling my head

Caitlin McKenna Steeves

Copyright ©2004 Caitlin McKenna Steeves

Also, to prove that I have attempted this on my own and am not simply giving up, I did try to write about this poem on my own. One of my ideas was that this poem might be relating to a near death experience because if the out of body experience (short period in which heart stopped) then the heart beating pulling the narrator back into life (being shocked back into life) and finally her lack of full memory of the ordeal as many so who have experienced such a thing... Anyway, as an essay, especially one about literary devices, it had little point or support in the text. Basically, I think my problem is that I don't quite understand the poem so any help would be very helpful!!!

At risk of being labeled cynical, you are kidding, right? It has not been my previous experience that poems posted on poetry.com are likely to be studied in the classroom.

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No, I'm not kidding. I know it's just off of poetry.com, but our teacher gave us a packet of poems to choose from for an essay and this is one of them. I thought it might make for an interesting essay, but maybe not. If I can't organize my thoughts I should probably choose something else.

I'm not sure that there's much to understand. There's lots of imagery, although it doesn't make much sense to me- why an eggplant? why lime and patchouli? What's this whole transparent/opaque thing? Maybe it has meaning to the author, but to the reader?

If you really want to annoy your teacher, you should ask if he or she has the author's permission to use the poem.

pam

The only sense I can attribute to this poem is that it's a description of an experience under the influence of some hallucinogen. If not, then other than being mildly amusing nonsense (perhaps submitted to test the taste of poetry.com!) it seems pretty pointless.

Ian

I think this poem has to do with the author's feelings for someone else, someone that she is not allowed to have for some reason. The imagery of her blood being infused with lime and patchouli probably has some personal meaning, maybe a connection to the other she refers to. The reference to ink is her need to put words to paper, solidify her emotions so as not to lose or forget her "deep and dark" emotions. She wants to be seen by this other person, she wants to make herself transparent and hold nothing back, if even for a moment, to this person whom she feels a "smooth, warm, and whispering" connection to.