The Penrose Stairs

Hello everyone.

I'd like to give a quick thanks to everyone who has read all of the postings so far. It truly means the world to me. This blog is my little soapbox, and on it, with these words, I'm able to scream to the world, lol. But anyways, this poem in particular is one of my personal favorites. It's called, "The Penrose Stairs." And when I first posted it on another site, it garnered a pretty good reaction. But the main question I got afterwards was, just what the heck did it mean. So I figured that I since I was posting it here, I would take the time to explain it.

The poem begins with "Darling, won't you spin your top, And tell the world if I'm awake." That line is a direct reference to one of my favorite movies ever, Inception. In the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio's character invades other people's dreams, but he has a personal item, which he calls his totem. His totem is a top that he spins. If the top keeps on spinning, then he knows he is still in a dream. But if the top loses momentum, and falls, then he is in the real world. So the point of that line in the poem, is the narrator is telling a woman to tell him if he is awake or not. Because he thinks he's found his "dream woman," so he's not sure if he is conscious or not. The poem then references "A metaphoric maze" held beneath her breast. And that was just an exaggerated comparison to a woman's emotions. Because they are complex things inside each woman that "any man will have to brave, to find where the heart is said to rest." And that's basically saying that if a man wants to win a woman's heart, then he must learn to understand and appreciate her emotions. The poem then goes on to talk about "a keeper creature of the lore." And that is a reference to the minotaur of Greek mythological folklore. Because he was the keeper and protector of Daedalus' labyrinth, or maze.

Afterwards, the narrator basically tells his "dream woman," that he knows she has been through a lot, and that the previous men in her life have left her "world' turned upside down. This is why he makes references to "walking on the ceilings, and reaching for the floors." And the "vines" that guide his way are nothing more than the veins carrying blood to his beloved's heart. Then he references her singing in "shepard tones." This is important because, according to Wikipedia, shepard tones are the musical equivalent to penrose stairs. And since I'm sure some people are wondering, I'll explain the significance of penrose stairs. The Penrose stairs is an impossible object created by Lionel Penrose and his son Roger Penrose. It can be seen as a variation on the Penrose triangle. It is a two-dimensional depiction of a staircase in which the stairs make four 90-degree turns as they ascend or descend yet form a continuous loop, so that a person could climb them forever and never get any higher. And there are reasons why I chose to name the poem after this device. One, is because the penrose stairs are used in the film Inception. They look amazingly simple, but are really quite intricate, much like women. And the main reason why is that men often complain of getting the run around from women. So maybe when a man is trying to court a woman, she has him on her own penrose stairs, to see if he will care enough to continue the journey.

But again, these are just my opinions. Nothing is written in stone or anything. But back to the subject at hand... For the rest of the poem, the narrator basically tries to use metaphors to convince this woman to let her guard down and just give him a chance. And in the end, the poem just touches on a universal need. A man needs a woman in his life. Preferably the one meant for him. But if that person doesn't exist, then he needs a good woman who can give him strength and inspire him to achieve greatness. Thanks for reading all of this. It is more than appreciated.

"The Penrose Stairs"
2010

Darling, won't you spin your top
And tell the world if I'm awake
For I wish to lie beside you ever still
And applaud each breath you take
But your beauty's being held within
A metaphoric maze beneath your breast
That any man will have to brave
To find where the heart is said to rest
But as I dip below the tangible
I see no keeper creature of the lore
For I'm not sure that I'd survive
An encounter with the minotaur
But now that I'm within your world
I must fight to find my ground
Because it seems your lovers past
Have left this place so turned around
So I'm walking on your ceilings dear
While I long to touch your floors
Walking through the windows as
I stare intently through your doors
For I investigate this blooming world
Filled with vines to guide my way
As I hear you sing in shepard tones
The sweetest things you have to say
And while your siren's song may well entice
My reasons have wavered not
For I can find delight in failure's grasp
If I know I gave it all I've got
And that is what I wish to give
To you and you alone
As I climb the penrose stairs
That you've built here on your own
To protect your precious parts
From the unfaithful hands of those
Who don't appreciate the petal's touch
So they meet the thorns and curse the rose
But I am not like those gardeners
No matter how much you may believe
That I would plant my seed in fertile ground
Just to take a bow and leave
So you can put down your weary shield
And sheathe your sharpened sword
For there's just a heart upon this sleeve
Where the others' tricks were stored
And though I'm not without my wiles
It's at your mercy I remain
And I've spent this time below your heel
Without an ounce of shame
But to say that I won't move
Would be a spoken lie
For I wish to be the sun that shines
Through your shards of broken sky
In the hopes that I may bring
A way to help the pieces heal
So that the stones which coat your bones
Will wilt until you feel
That I merely wish to love
What so many have tried to steal
So that when the spin begins to slow
You'll know that I was for real...