Patterns by Amy Lowell

I would have opted to write something about Pirates of the Caribbean but since I was a little disappointed with the movie I chose a piece from my Litera2 class instead, Patterns written by Amy Lowell.
*click on the site below to view a copy of the poem*

Patterns is a poem portraying how our lives are governed with rules imposed by our society. It involves a forbidden love between a lady of high status and a man who died in the war. The death of her lover goes with the death of her only hope to free herself from the pattern, which is symbolized by the brocaded gown she is wearing. The text is trying to overthrow this pattern but in the end fails to generate an outcome. It is quite ironic that even the form of the poem itself lacks a pattern. Another fact that astonished me is the way these patterns serve as a protection for an individual through restrictions. Does protection necessarily mean restricting a person from being happy? I personally chose this text because I can fully relate my situation with the poem at the moment. I am stuck between a choice of pursuing to medical school after my graduation, which would pretty much please everyone especially my family, and a choice not to, which would please no one else but myself. The text leaves me with the challenge to free myself from my own patterns, patterns that people expect me to pursue in life. I appreciate the way it captures reality in the societal level and as for me in a much personal level.

Source:
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/poem1/blp_lowell_amy_patterns.htm