This poem embodies myself through a larger metaphor of a fragile foundation. I begin the poem comparing myself to a "house of cards", known for the precise creation yet fragility. I include the factors of 52, saying myself that I am defined by "a multiple of 4 and 13." The numbers do not hold significance in my life, but rather the heavy influence of math and quantitation, an aspect I defy with my lack of interest in quantifying everything.
I then allude to breaking the delicate infrastructure stating, "the fallacies in the infrastructure are distinct". This refers to my inward feelings towards not meeting the expectations of my parents, which metaphorically "sends the mechanism into collapse", how they must alter their parenting methodology to cater towards my interests rather than theirs. Using the house of cards metaphor greatly influences this idea as a house of cards is built on precise angles and certain structures, which embody strength, as the pyramid shape is strong, yet one card cannot be taken out otherwise the structure will inevitably collapse.
All of the aspects I compared myself to are breakable or reliant on other partakers. For example, "Rough stones form my path. The misshapen, unattached compensated with cement." The rough stones cannot completely piece together alone, thus needing cement to solidify the path. This represents my upbringing, compiled of fragments of everything, whether it was culture, family, religion, etc.
Next I refer to myself as a broken mirror. I include the idea that I reflect a piece of the people in my life, "of those who build and those who break," as I take and reflect the experiences in my life. These experiences piece together myself as a whole and define who I am. Some experiences or people represent larger pieces of the mirror, playing larger roles in my development.
The next metaphor I include compares myself to the ocean. For example, "The ocean, not fully water nor salt" represents that the ocean cannot be defined as one aspect or another, as the vastness displays complexity. I view the ocean as a force that takes from the land and gives to the life within the vast extent of water. The ocean displays anger at stormy weather and calmness otherwise, depicting the influx of emotions often shown by my personality. Yet in another aspect, the ocean may not be "satiated nor pure", but still sustaining colorful life that no other ecosystem can sustain, showing the unique importance each individual, including myself, which serves to a larger scheme of things, despite the "incompleteness" or fragile foundation.
The poem begins from a confined structure, a house of cards. The poem then progresses to a stone path, which represents less planning and less accuracy. The poem then progresses to a broken mirror pieced together, which represents taking a once complete shape and rebuilding from the same pieces. This represents gaining experience or perhaps how I changed based on my experiences and the people in my life. Lastly, I compare myself to an ocean. As an ocean, I continue to take from others, and I continue to grow and lose purity to those that I take from, gaining knowledge and wisdom. This contributes to a larger sustainability.