Requests for a Toy Piano by Tony Hoagland is a poem in which nothing is as it seems. Classic and often romanticized situations are juxtaposed by their darker counters. If the woman in love is wearing a sweet perfume, the author is sure to mention it is made from the destruction of a hundred flowers. In the modern world of affluence and materialism, where society is based upon principles of capitalistic business rather than the rudimentary, concrete basis of moral evolution, the motivations of people are similarly translucent. Infiltrated by corruption and blind ambition, displays of supposed altruism are often projected from individuals eager to reap the psychological rewards of reciprocation. However, just as the rare acts of true character can be convoluted, it would be irrational to speculate that they do not exist. Just as the water rises within the daffodil, these anomalies represent a "flushed conviction" of the goodness within man, even in the face of his garish flaws.
I connected with the poem because of its accessibility. One does not require prerequisite knowledge of the subject matter, because the events are so current and relevant to modern life. This is a rarity and something of extreme importance in a world where most famous poems address antiquated subject matter. This accessibility made it convenient to draw a relationship with the poem. Its harsh and dark critique of society is one that you feel a connection with at the end of the piece.
Similarly, I was also lucky enough to distinguish my own morality within the poem. So many of Hoagland's ideals mimic those I have grown up with. As a young person, I find many of his metaphors holding a strong symbolic message for the flaws in our society. These issues are artfully concealed within a beautifully sinister poem of human error.
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