6/22/2023 0 Comments Unraveling by Brandon Leake![]() ![]() ![]() “While we can still smell ’em” speaks of the inevitability of the end of life, and how living is worth it when rewards of seed-sowing are being present to actually reap them. The “flowers” in this poem are figurative of accolades, awards, validation, and the intoxicating sense of self-worth that comes with accomplishment. “But God”, the poet cries, “is it wrong to want my flowers while I can still smell ’em” reveals the origin of his ambition from God as, “this…you’ve planted in my soul”. The title of this poem derives its context from the last two lines, where he confesses mistaking God’s voice with his own desire. “Pride” is mentioned here as one of those flaws the poet calls “the root of this disease / That rots a man from the inside out”. It begins by engaging the mind with admittance of the flawed human condition using a model persona, “a man”, and his seemingly endless “inadequacies”. The beginning poem in Brandon Leake’s Unraveling, “Confusion”, is the paving stone on which the first footstep is placed towards liberation, self-reflection beside, along with its attendant costs of guilt, acknowledgement of fault and pain. ![]()
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