I watch you
As you sit at lunch and chew.
Little do you know,
I follow you wherever you go.
We never talk but became friends on
Facebook,
Only a different identity and a simple friend
request it took.
I analyze all your blogs and pictures
online
One day you will become mine.
You may suspect someone but you will
never guess who
And still I will watch you.
First, I just want to clarify that I did
not base this poem on any personal experiences or myself. I do not stalk anyone
on the Internet or in real life. I think the idea of a stalker simply came to
me from the recent assembly on Internet safety. I chose the topic because I
think it alone can make readers feel uncomfortable, as the poem discusses an
obsessed person who creeps on other people without them knowing. I use some
short phrases like “I watch you” in the first and last line in order to indirectly
characterize the speaker as obsessed, because society generally looks down on
obsessions. I also break up the poem with the punctuation of periods to
emphasize the speaker’s focused thoughts and how his/her fixation consumes
him/her. I think people sometimes feel uncomfortable when others directly come
out and say how they feel so I also use forthright diction, such as “watch”
and “follow,” to create an insistent tone to highlight the speaker’s blunt,
open view towards his/her actions. The idea that people like the speaker exist in
real life makes me feel uncomfortable, especially because people could easily not
know about their stalker, as the speaker confidently states his victim will
never discover his obsession or identity. I hope I made everyone reading this
feel as uncomfortable as I do when I think about the speaker loose in our
world.
Ana, I find your poem especially disturbing due to the recent trend in stalker-themed television and movies. I recently watched an episode of "Pretty Little Liars" that horrified me to the point of running to my parents' bed in the middle of the night as result of my nightmare. Also, I just saw the movie, "Identity Thief," which illustrated a foreboding story of a woman stealing another person's identity with extreme ease, almost ruining his life. The frequency of this eerie topic makes me paranoid for the possibility of having my own stalker.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound messed up, but I found your poem rather humorous. Like Katie, I too frequently see crime shows and movies that highlight the horrors and extremes of stalking; however, those who obsesses both represent pathetic and mentally deranged personas in my opinion, so l then laugh at them. The repetition in lines 1and 10 did give me the creeps despite that fact. If I ever heard anyone saying that, I would unfriend them on Facebook, block them from my blog, and move out of the state in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteI found your poem quiet unsettling, particularly in light of the assembly you mentioned above. Like Katie noted, the media frequently portrays instances such as the one you depicted, allowing the reader to easily visualize the scene and, thus, creating further discomfort. As well, your use of "you" throughout forces one to envision themselves as the subject, which proves an incredibly uncomfortable thought.
ReplyDelete