The poem Song of the Powers is not just your ordinary piece of poetry but a

meaning behind the game of rock, paper, and scissors. The poem was written by
David Mason, was written in 1990. David Mason works at the Colorado College in
Colorado Springs, Colorado and is a professional essayist. The poem uses an ABCDE
rhyme scheme for the first three stanzas and ABCBCABDBD rhyme scheme for the
fourth stanza. The poem represents the power struggle between the three types of
stereotypes in high school. The poems first three stanzas, the fourth stanza, and
the poems overall lesson are listed below.
The first three stanzas are liked in that they each represent one of the core
components of the game rock, paper, and scissors. The first stanza is about rock,
showing how it can beat scissors with its physical strength, because it is within
rocks grasps. I crush the scissors, such is my power. Stronger than wishes, my
power, alone.. The second stanza is about paper, talking about how it can beat
rock with its words, this significant because rocks power in the previous stanza is
purely physical while paper can attach it through long range. Mine are the words
that smother the stone with imagined birds, reams of them, flown from the mind of
the shaper.. The third stanza is about scissors, bragging about how it can cut paper
and tatter its wishes, because it just ignores papers words and uses them against
paper. Mine all the knives gashing through papers ethereal lives; nothings so
proper as tattering wishes.. But you may have noticed none of them discussed
their weaknesses. They only care about their strengths.
The last stanza discusses this issue. It states that As stone crushes scissors,
as paper snuffs stone and scissors cut paper, all end alone. This shows that if all
attack each other at once they will all stand alone, because all their abilities cancel
each other out. For example, if rock end scissors with its strength, then it will hide
from paper for eternity because no one can end paper. If paper ends the rock after
finding it then it will be alone for eternity.
Rock, papers, and scissors dont just represent object however, but times of
people. Rock represents the athletic but dumb jocks; whose power only works of an
opponent is in reach. Paper represents the school smart nerds who are physically
weak and can only use words, that only work if the opponent listens. Scissors
represent the street smarts, who can ignore papers words but not rocks strength.
Most people are usually two of these stereotypes, with a few people who are all
three.
Song of the Powers teaches us about rock, paper, scissors, what happens
when they fight, but also while teaching us an important lesson. Dont focus on your
strengths but your weaknesses. Even if you consider yourself all three, you are
probably only a little good at each one. If each one is knocked out, all will be alone
in the future. You need to counter attack so you are not ended and neither are your
peers. Learn from each other instead of ending the others.