Untitled

Untitled
Stephen Crane
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said: “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered; “But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.”

Even though this poem is graphic and crazy, it was one of my favorites to interpret in class! Should that make me nervous?(:
Just kidding! But still...

This is how I imagined it as the reader literally:
I am walking through the desert- tired, sweaty, maybe lost... I see a figure in the distance hunched over. As I approach the creature he is starving, skin & bones, holding his heart in his hands. His hands and lips are bloody and you cannot see anything in his eyes. When I ask how it tastes I see his eyes shine with fear and sadness...then he responds that it is "bitter, and because it is my heart."

This is how imagined it as the reader figuratively:
I have a friend who is a good person, but always makes the wrong mistakes because he does not have good self-esteem. He always puts himself in the wrong situations and makes his life worse, and worse. When I try and stop him tell him it is okay and he can fix it, (“Is it good, friend?”) he acts like he wants to...but he doesn't because secretly, he wants his situation to be worse (“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered; “But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart.”) He is caught in the web of depression and he thinks the only way he can feel anything is to make matters worse.

Depresssssing...but interesting, I guess; that is how I interpreted it. I liked how simple and descriptive this poem was and how story-like.
Hmmmm...
I think I'll pick a happier poem next time...