The Sims Diaries
Earlier this year, I had put some of my creative voices, or alter egos, into The Sims 4. Every now and then, I play with their lives and develop their stories. I have been inspired to write about their personal stories which they write on their private diaries, and adapt them into poetry. Today's poem focuses on Arya Stout. Rather than introducing her myself, I will let the poem show you who she is and what she does.
Captive
Her gaze is lost
among the bubbles
of the boiling water.
Uncooked pasta stands on the counter,
nervously expecting its timely death.
Arya sets her floral apron
to fit nicely along her waist;
she pours the pasta in the pan
and sets the timer:
the ticking reminds her
of her youth going to waste.
She loves baking -
cooking is not the same:
plain and boring,
dull work for the woman
with artistic ambitions.
Her icy blue skin means
she will never fit in;
an outcast with alien blood.
Enslaved by vicious ruminations,
she forever stirs pots of pasta
while her head sinks in sorrow.
A peek at the calendar
hanging on the wall:
seven weeks until she holds a piping bag
in her moisturised hands
to decorate Maggie's birthday cake.
Until then, seven weeks
of cooking boring meals,
washing dishes,
doing laundry,
cleaning floors.
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I love playing sims way back! There's sadness in this poem though. Dont worry Arya! SimLife will turn around!
Being broke does not help her! Hopefully, she will be able to break out of this rut and manage to do more of what she loves!
She'll catch her big break! 😊
KItchen stands for nurturing, and she has gone dry, but why does the birthday bring new light?
With my vision of her story, two things. Firstly, she loves her daughter (see picture below).
Secondly, I believe that she enjoys baking. She dreams of baking those huge cakes that are shaped like Movie Characters and so. However, due to financial difficulties and lack of motivation (depression), she does not bake (unless it's a special occasion, like her daughter's birthday). She doesn't afford to take lessons either, so her baking skill is quite low.
Does that make sense? It's hard to write stand-alone poem with a story ahead. I hope it didn't create too many questions.
The difficulties of a being caught in a simulation, waiting for life to make some sense. But enough about my life...
A real balanced flow of words and rhythm. Clear imagery. You've taken the mundane and made it poetic.
ha, you got me!
Thank you. I've used some of myself, transferred it onto different characters and situations. Then, I let them write their own diary. I took their diaries and transferred them into poems. I am glad that after all that processing, the poetry reflects something realistic and relatable. And glad that someone who claims to not have a great understanding in poetry, could read along and follow through :)
I guess poetry is like art in general. I know what I like, although I can't always be precise about why. I'm learning to though, and this one appealed to me in a very specific manner. So yes, my claims of poetic ignorance came to nought.
There are poems I don't understand myself. Some are meant to be abstract, like art. It would be foolish for anyone to claim to know exactly what the artist of an abstract art intended to express. Or, I may be wrong, since I don't know too much about art. In the end, it's always the reader who needs to have faith in their own interpretation :)
I think the reader's interpretation is a key part of it. I know I have done abstract poems and even I didn't fully know what it meant. I'd have a vague notion, and the readers would often share theirs idea and something would click for me.
I suppose we get to learn about our subconscious more - which can be scary. Ah, writing is the best therapy <3
I agree, writing is the best therapy.
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STOPThat was a fun poem. There were numerous quirky stanzas that made it come alive and made me smile. And of course I'll be much more compassionate toward blue-skinned aliens!
It was fun to write, so I'm glad it reciprocated to the reader. Thank you :) And I'll be compassionate to any skin-coloured alien. I don't want to end up being their next meal ;) You never know!
I really like this. You make the picture come alive. You breathe life into Arya.
Honoured that you think so. I did put a lot of me (probably more than I anticipated) into these characters. - so I am glad that it comes out as very real and alive.
Poetry at it best @poetrybyjeremy
Such a meager existence! I feel sad for her, even knowing she is only a virtual character... resigned to her boredom. A strange place to find inspiration for such a beautiful poem :)
Thank you once again :) Well, it's not a strange place, because I created these characters as parts of my 'alter egos' or 'the voices in my head' - so they all represent an exaggerated part of myself.
Nice poem! I haven't played the Sims in years
Thank you :) I don't get much time to play it anymore, but it's definitely fun :D