Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Development of an Adult Nightmare" by Thylias Moss delves into the surreal and unsettling terrain of adult fears, shaped by unresolved traumas and complexities of the human psyche. Moss navigates the psychological landscape by using the metaphor of 'mynas'-a type of bird known for its mimicking abilities-as a haunting reflection of the speaker's internalized thoughts and fears.

The poem opens with "It starts when gathering mynas create the darkness." Here, darkness isn't just the absence of light but represents a psychological abyss created by the mynas. The mynas serve as vocal embodiments of the speaker's internal fears, broadcasting "what I didn't mean to say aloud." They are close enough "within the range where my myopia has no effect," implying that the speaker cannot escape self-scrutiny, both metaphorically and literally. This sets the tone for a poem steeped in a dark confrontation with the self.

The poem's structure is devoid of conventional punctuation, enhancing the sense of an unceasing nightmare where thoughts flow without the relief of full stops. The lines mirror the relentless nature of the mynas, as they "don't let me forget anything no matter how insincere the promise."

A striking element of the poem is its treatment of the concept of 'truth.' The mynas "have no flair for art confusing the white lies," indicating that the subjective reality the speaker has constructed is under threat. The speaker acknowledges their responsibility in this dynamic by stating, "I learn to say what I want to hear," suggesting that the torture of the mynas is somewhat self-inflicted.

As the speaker refers to themselves as a Christian, the poem takes on another layer, dealing with the struggle between humility and self-abnegation. This is reflected in lines like, "As a Christian / I'm supposed to want to be this humble." This brings an additional context to the narrative, presenting the mynas as twisted echoes of a Christian conscience, questioning beliefs and moral standards.

The concept of freedom changes in the course of the poem. "Yesterday I would have fought for freedom of speech / Now here I am freeing the world of mynas." This change reflects a transformation in the speaker's outlook, from seeing freedom as a right to express to freedom from the torment of overexpression, represented by the mynas.

The poem concludes with a haunting paradox. Even after ridding the world of mynas, the speaker still thinks of them. The torment has been internalized to such an extent that the absence of external mynas doesn't alleviate the internal nightmare. This illustrates the tenacity of psychological traumas and fears; they persist even when their immediate causes are eradicated.

"Development of an Adult Nightmare" serves as a profound psychological study, portraying the speaker's descent into an inescapable emotional quagmire. It's an exploration of how our fears, traumas, and even our moral and ethical standards can combine to form an adult nightmare that is difficult to wake from, demanding a confrontation with the complexities of our own nature.

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