Franken Poem — Summary

You want me to be lost under the surface I'm becoming this mistake Feeling faithless, becoming tired I've become so aware You want me to be feeling pressure Feeling numb Becoming another mistake to you You want me to be more like you I've become so lost under the surfce

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.

Judging by the words themselves, the speaker feels crushed by another person's expectations. The "you" in the poem keeps wanting things: for the speaker to be lost, to feel pressure, to be "more like you." Against that, the speaker seems to be slowly giving in, repeating "becoming" and "I've become" as if they are changing without having chosen to.

The title, "Franken Poem," suggests someone being stitched into a shape they never asked for, like Frankenstein's creature, though that is an inference. The speaker calls themselves a "mistake," then "another mistake to you," which hints that the other person's disapproval has become the speaker's own view of themselves. The repeated image of being "under the surface" feels like drowning or disappearing from view.

The mood is heavy, numb, and tired. Short, flat lines mirror that exhaustion. Even the moment of awareness ("I've become so aware") brings no relief, only a clearer sense of being stuck.

Read also

More by Jacob Quigley

All poems
SadJacob Quigley

loneliness

Back to the page Is what I say Back with the pain I gave away to gain