Poetry Blog 5

I think the poem "Song of the Powers" by David Mason is a lot deeper than it originally appears to be. Upon reading it the first time it is obvious that the poem is talking about Rock-Paper-Scissors. But, I think the game symbolizes how many people live their lives. I think Mason means that everyone chooses what their "power" will be. And they are all indeed powerful and can conquer another power. However, as one can be the conqueror, it can also be the conquered. All powers are equal, but different. This relates to two things for me: economics and politics. I suppose the line between the two is often blurred, but I see it relating specificall in economics to forms of running an economy that have pros and cons. For instance, capitalism could be a "power" because it gives the freedom for individuals to be infinitely successful. It can crush others because it sometimes brings more success. However, socialism is also a power, that can crush capitalism with it's overall success, rather than the success of the individual. It also relates to political parties: there are strengths and weaknesses of both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as those pros and cons that come along with choosing to be an independent. All of this really came full circle when I read the end of the poem where Mason talks about how when one power dominates the others, it will be alone. I feel like this is speaking of the importance of diversity in our world. Had we not people and societies different from ours, the world economy would not function and political compromise would not take place.