Conversation

CONVERSATION
by Davide Kesler

At the end of the sixth day I was exhausted. laser beams,
exploding fireworks and physical acrobatics. I made
wastebin there has been a rather deadly shaking down. Different
equally well as I slipped away between the interstices of society
by his hand. Smiling that humorless smile at me again.
Absolute silence now-and a sideways shuffling by the audience.
Stainless steel rats! Soon I had a string of adoring fans trailing.

If you had not come he would not have fired and have been condemned.

---
Analysis

The protagonist of this poem finds life, especially social interaction, vapid and superficial. He sees life as a never-ending work of theater (six days culminating in exhaustion), full of distracting but meaningless "laser beams," "fireworks," and "physical acrobatics." He imagines that the audience at his theater shuffles away from the calm, reflective "absolute silence" he seeks, becoming "adoring" and worshipful only when presented with "stainless steel rats," an obvious metaphor for fool's gold, pyrrhic victories, etc.

The most interesting part of the poem is the interaction between the narrator and the unnamed "he," who causes the narrator to fall through the cracks ("interstices") of society and smiles "that humorless smile at me again." Is this "he" responsible for the "made wastebin" and the "rather deadly shaking down" as well? However, the strange use of the word "rather" to qualify such grave circumstances implies irony, meaning that this relationship between the two characters may be more complex than one of simple oppression.

Perhaps the use of the word "interstices" is instructive. Dictionary.com provides us with some fascinating potential meanings for this word. "Interstices" can refer to uniform gaps in objects, which would square with our theory of the narrator's alienation from society. However, "interstices" can refer to gaps in time as well, and most interestingly, to intervals in time that must elapse before promotion to higher positions (specifically in the Catholic Church). Perhaps the narrator feels that he is being prevented from achieving what he wants in life. However, if life is so superficial and hollow to the narrator, why is he so interested in any sort of advancement, let alone one with religious connotations?

I believe this poem actually refers to an inner conflict over the superficial nature of achievement. An inner conflict would mean that the "he" in the poem is actually the narrator; he is wrestling with himself. When we reach a goal, are we really making a difference in our life, or the lives of others? Such a difficult question is certainly one we seek to answer through faith, or for the less religious among us, through our actions on earth-- specifically the act of creation, of doing, of making a life. This is the point the author is clearly trying to make in referring to "six days" of work - the same amount of work God did to make the earth. Yet the result of the protagonist's creation, of his actions, is not that he makes something about which he can say "And it was good," but that he is simply exhausted.

The last line is so separate from the rest of the poem as to be almost an epitaph. The title ("Conversation") indicates that this poem is about human communication generally, and therefore I believe that the "you" in the last line refers to "us," the readers. Because the protagonist has not made peace with himself and cannot yet convince himself--through faith, creation, or otherwise--that his uniqueness, that the ways in which he is a "different" individual, are "equally well," he finds interaction with others superficial, resulting in a profound feeling of alienation. He projects these feelings of alientation onto this perceived "he," this part of himself he wrestles with, and blames it for having "fired" out something toward others (probably some harsh words) resulting in social "condemnation."

This poem, in a few short lines, manages to convey a profound, complex feeling of alienation. If we don't buy into society, how are we to achieve anything? But if we do buy into society, are we really achieving anything either? I look forward to reading more thought-provoking, rich works from this obviously talented young poet. Magnifique, Davide!