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1 Feb 2019: "The Caterpillar" by Kendrick Lamar

This poem is part of a Lamar song where he has a imaginary conversation with Tupac Shakur. This poem is part of the conversation. The below italicized line is how Lamar introduces the poem. Check out The Rose that Grew from Concrete for a great paired reading.


It’s actually something a good friend had wrote describing my world it says

The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it.
Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it.
In order to protect itself from this mad city,
While consuming its environment,
The caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive.
One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him, 
But praises the butterfly.
The butterfly represents the talent, 
The thoughtfulness, 
And the beauty within the caterpillar.
But having a harsh outlook on life,
The caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak,
And figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits.
Already surrounded by this mad city,
The caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon which institutionalizes him.
He can no longer see past his own thoughts.
He’s trapped.
When trapped inside these walls, certain ideas start to take roots,
Such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city
The result?
Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant.
Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations
That the caterpillar never considered, ending the eternal struggle.
Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different,
They are one and the same

1 comment:

  1. This poem is a much better extended metaphor than Tupac's Rose from the Concrete.

    The caterpillar is developed more, and the relationship between the metamorphosis is a lot more interesting and complex. It's still the same message, but the process makes the triumph more rewarding, A rose/plant agency doesn't compare with humans, but the personification of the caterpillar is easy.

    The trapping creates the emergence. It's somewhat hero's journey.

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