Self-criticism — Summary

I am a society of worn instruments, a should-have-been, a rogue fleet gone into ink.

Show the whole poemHide the poem

Learn Poems app

Try the Learn Poems app

Everything from the website trainer, and more: new exercises, voice recording and sharing, reminders, quick review.

In just a few lines, the speaker describes themselves as a crowd of things that have seen better days. "A society of worn instruments" suggests many parts of the self, all tired from use, like tools that once did good work and are now dulled. It's a harsh way to look at yourself, but the word "society" also hints that there's a whole community in there, not just one failure.

The last lines get more painful. "A should-have-been" sums up regret: a person who didn't become what they might have. Then the image of a "rogue fleet gone into ink" pictures ships that slipped their orders and vanished into writing. The speaker may be saying that their energy and ambition ended up as words on a page instead of real voyages or deeds. The mood is wistful and self-mocking, with a hint of grim humor. The title, "Self-criticism," fits, though the sea imagery gives the disappointment a strange, faded grandeur.

Read also

More by Dave Bonta

All poems
ContemplativeDave Bonta

Plea bargain

I hear half a beat of drum to serve time have half a hope in the meantime praise God
DreamyDave Bonta

Cibola 3

I awake in the dark and shake free of sheets & blankets, of down-filled quilt. The rituals of waking– the long, hot shower, the coffee–give
ContemplativeDave Bonta

In good light

On a maple’s pale bark, a zigzag ladder—old tooth-marks from a wandering snail? Green islands of moss