I think it must be surely so

I think it must be surely so,

That the devil does exist.

For something clings upon my soul,

Which grabs my heart and twists.

Reviews

[Eggman]

This has got to be my favourite of your poetry - at least of what I've read so far! So much can be discussed within these four lines. I'm going to start with my interpretations. If you read it at surface level, its a dark supernatural force, gripping the narrator. This is effective enough - I think that each line is darker than the last, and this gives a growing sense of futility of the narrator. In this interpretation the narrator is chillingly calm, despite the nature of their predicament - this is reminiscent of great classic horror, I can certainly imagine a possessed girl in a horror movie singing this before performing some malevolent act.

Another view is that it is the narrators own internal struggle that is troubling them, and that the devil is really just a metaphor. In this instance, the devil may be the evil side of the narrator's consciousness causing them to act in the way they are, or alternatively they could be suffering from a weighing depression. Once again, I can vividly imagine this being said in a conversation between a therapist and a serial killer, for example, when the killer is asked what their view on religion is. I'm unsure which interpretation is scarier - this or the first.

My third and favourite reading of the poem presents a (debatably) less sinister scenario. The narrator is plagued by an unwanton love - the "something" in this scenario being the object of the narrator's desire. Clinging is the perfect word to describe that feeling of obsession, I think, and so this works rather well. But what if the narrator is already in a relationship, but it's lacklustre and he meets a pretty, spontaneous woman? Or even more interesting still, what if the narrator was brought up by a devout religious family, and is coming to terms that they are homosexual? Your poem is inspiring me to write stuff, wow!

I think one of the more interesting questions raised by this poem is that of what the last line really means. It seems as though the twisting of the heart should provoke a physical response of some kind in the narrator, perhaps commuting dark deeds, or perhaps causing something much more literal to happen - a heart attack, maybe? That gives me another idea - what if the narrator is a bed-ridden patient, terminally ill with heart disease? Previously a materialist, they now have no option but to believe that their misfortune is at the hands of aa supernatural entity?

This is simply fantastic poetry. The fact that it can be read in so many ways, that it provokes so many ideas indicates just how well crafted it is. The more I think about it, the more ideas rush around my head - honestly this is your best work in my opinion. Not many could cram so many ideas into twenty four words. I love this.

You sure are one talented writer Bob M.

-eggman

[BobM]

I am incredibly grateful for your praising words, eggman. I had no idea when I wrote these four short lines that someone would receive them so well, nor acclaim them so highly. Rather than inspire you, you are inspiring me- to write more, and to believe more in what I write. I like your interpretations as well, you hit the nail on the head with at least one of them, but I'll never tell which...

Thanks again, eggman.
-Bob