i'm not insane, i read dostoevsky.

[sleek iris]

i'm not insane, i read dostoevsky,
big books with complicated names,
characters tangled in a mess of existence.
life feels like a novel, a bit like his,
but without the profound philosophy,
more like spilled coffee on a sunday morning.
people judge, think it's all a bit much,
but what's insanity in a world of chaos,
where minds are a jigsaw puzzle missing pieces.
i'm not saying i'm a philosopher,
just someone trying to understand,
the pages of thick dostoevskian novels.
i'm not saying i've got it all figured out,
but there's something comforting about diving into someone else's chaos,
knowing you're not alone in yours.
i'm not insane, just lost in dostoevskian,
flipping pages, chasing understanding,
because sometimes, sanity is just fiction.

[sour oasis]

I actually really like this, it is readable which is a huge deal.

The middle bit may have over-reached, as I didn’t fully believe what you said there.

[sleek iris]

thank you, i appreciate it!

[sleek iris]

got it, would you mind sharing more insight on that?

[sour oasis]

‘People judge, think it’s all a bit much’ stands out as maybe over-assertive / unclear, particularly the ‘judge’ part

Maybe something like ‘my friends think it’s all a bit much’ for ex but that kinda leaves what they think too unconsidered? Hard to pin down why I dislike it

[sleek iris]

i do agree with you, although i think it all ends up on the pov of the viewer. it may come unclear to most of us, but i still is a whole sentence in itself (just my pov).

[sleek iris]

i totally got your point, thanks for the review!

[fickle lichen]

hey this one

Your poem is descriptive, this does put any complex meaning behind it

it's straight to the point and makes clear of its intention

haha
sanity is just a fiction!

imagine the world being so difficult to understand and think that you have figured things out
is that what you mean?

I do not read Dostoevsky, so I cannot go much further than this

[sleek iris]

yes, to me at least. haha

[sleek iris]

you can say that

[sleek iris]

haha its okay, got it! thank you!

[fickle lichen]

I lost my sanity few weeks ago because of philosophy, for me sanity is something which does not get you existential crisis
you can argue about this

but I dont wanna engage in a discussion about it

I am traumatised enough lol

[sleek iris]

well i believe that one cannot be sane if oneself dives into philosophy, i can somehow relate to you.

sanity is just an illusion

a pretty one, perhaps

[fickle lichen]

Sanity and insanity are polar states

just like how stability and instability are

they are the measures of the system, on how self managable it is

I view the same, if you get thoughts which question your own soul and existance

then you will loose sanity

if you care about making money and feeding kids, you are sane!

[sleek iris]

i agree with you

[fickle lichen]

I only care about making money and feeding my dear one, why would I care about dosteovsky
am not saying I should not, but after knowing philosophy often relys on things which are unfalsifiable

I dont wanna cry on things which cant be proven or unproven

[fickle lichen]

mhm!

[sleek iris]

i get your point. although, i believe staying sane throughout one's life makes it boring. i like to stay between both the polars.

somewhere between the chaos and solace

[fickle lichen]

You forgot another thing
Delusion, seemingly sane .its a thing of its own

old people do roam around and think about a lot of things, but being old makes them more emotional>

ever seen old people become emotional on average? I think it's because to enjoy the bonds we have made in life

it is what evolution has granted us to enjoy

[sleek iris]

this contemplation isn't exclusive to old age, but it does tend to intensify.

perhaps it's because time becomes more precious, and the urgency to make sense of one's life grows stronger.

[fickle lichen]

yeah

phuking philosophy , no matter how far I go

I get pulled by it, seems like it's asking for my sacrifice

I wont be surprised if tomorrow it bangs my door and threatens me

[warm sky]

*I wont be surprised

if tomorrow it bangs my

door and threatens me*

- harsha3000bc

[fickle lichen]

I could see it

[raven spindle]

@raven spindle

[fickle lichen]

heh?
You came and tagged yourself?

[raven spindle]

So I can read it later

[fickle lichen]

Oh I see

[fickle lichen]

I was specifically talking about intensification
mom becomes a grandma and takes excessive care of the children

grandpa does the same in different way, if Grandpa is able to walk lmao

[sleek iris]

understandable

[sleek iris]

i got your point!

[thorny dagger]

Beautiful poem! I love how it shows the chaos of this world, likening it to Dostoevsky’s novels but without their deeper philosophical purpose. It shows how things just “are” without reason to be, and how this world is what we make of it. The poem’s core message seems to be that you can create a novel purpose in your mind to make sense of this daunting world, but you’re free to let the chaos permeate as well and just accept it for what it is.

[solid sun]

Wonderful! @thorny dagger has just pregressed to level 9!

[sleek iris]

thank you so much for your review! i greatly appreciate it!

[warped cargo]

ha ha ha, good one.

But not impressed, 6.8/10.

[raven spindle]

It’s interesting how it starts with the claim that the poet is “not insane” and ends with “sanity is just fiction”. It’s refreshing that the poet took to describing the book from a laymen’s perspective- as opposed to his own which I would imagine to be quite complex (given that he seems to be an avid reader of Dostoevsky). I’m not saying that diving into the complexities would be annoying (I would simply just be too dumb to understand that 🙏). Comparing his work to “spilled coffee on a Sunday morning” makes me think of an accidental but almost fated, revelation of sorts? I like that the poet compared the minds of people to jigsaw puzzles missing pieces. It seems like the poet wishes to convey how no one actually, truly has anything figured out- hence everyone is susceptible to insanity. And if it’s a universal phenomenon, then why must it even be characterised as abnormal? Maybe everyone is insane- that means no one is insane. Sanity is simply is social construct, or fiction- like the poet said. There’s chaos in everyone’s minds, and hence no one is truly alone- even if the configuration of their own “jigsaw puzzle” differs from others’. I think the poet meant to emphasise on this commonness amongst everyone. Hence, “sanity is just fiction”. This is quite different from anything I’ve previously read. I’m certain that there is much that I have missed- or simply glossed over. But I feel that the more you read it, the more you find in it. And that is a commendable quality for a poem. Brilliant work 🫶