I know where you're coming from, I've written many an angry poem (or as I call them, "hate poem") in my day! I surprise myself though because the overwhelming majority of mine happen to be love poems. 

The best poetry isn't just written, it's inspired. It just so happens that emotional experiences are the best inspiration, whether they're good or bad ones.

I'm a fan of poetry also, but I've never been terribly good at abstract analogies like you seem to be. It's nice to actually have the poet around to confirm and deny interpretations. Analyzing poetry in English classes always seemed so futile to me because we were just making a bunch of conjecture.

Words are powerful things when used in the proper order and context. That's why finding the best way to say something is so important, not just simply saying it.

And for the record, in discussions such as this one I try my best to avoid negative feedback, so if I ever do give the impression that I think you're wrong I apologize.

Alright, we'll see if I'm anywhere close to the point here.

To me it seems that the crows represent mediocrity. We are unable to ignore them because they are louder than the beautiful voices of the birds. We chase the birds away because we fear their superiority, and we put the crows on a pedestal because they show us how even something ordinary can be "beautiful". We all want to be special like the birds, but since we are not we idolize the crows, thus making them the template for excellence. By extension, we assert that we are excellent as well.

For the sake of expanding the thought, we are unsatisfied because our expectations do not match our reality. This all leads back to a fundamental illusion. We are under the impression that we are in control of our lives, our surroundings, and even our actions. But we are not.

So why is it that getting something isn't the same as getting what we wanted? And I'm looking for something more than "You didn't get exactly what you want."

What about the other two points?

While surfing the forums today I noticed that the Reading Corner section hasn't seen a new post in half a month while Forum Games and The Lounge have 7+ active threads. After lamenting this atrocity for a few minutes I have decided to take matters into my own hands.

This semester I've been assigned a book entitled Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. When I first looked at the cover and read the subtitle "A book that changes lives" , I thought I was in for some kind of motivational nonsense. I'm now close to halfway through the book and the companion study guide, and it is actually proving to be quite fantastic. I know that attempting to describe it would prove insufficient, so I'd like to go about this differently.

Whether you've read it or not, I'd like you to read and ponder the quotes I post and, if you feel so inclined, discuss them as well. This first quote comes from chapter two, "The Web of Illusion".

"If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever."

Just thought I'd give an update. I finished Ground Zero and it not only lived up to your description, but exceeded it. Thank you for recommending it, it was incredible.