In this experiment, I tried to capture the reflective, natural imagery of American poet Mary Oliver to represent how my items express the essence of both past and present.
“Self-Portrait” by Mary Oliver, from Red Bird. © Beacon Press, 2008.
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What’s in My Bag
A paperback, its pages worn—
a tender hold, a world to warm.
I carry this, not for utility
but for the quiet, palpable simplicity.
And there, beside it, the Nintendo Switch,
a screen of light, where stories twitch.
Where I, too, become and play
in digital realms that stretch and sway.
Communication cards, neatly pressed,
a tool, a bridge, for when words rest.
They speak without voice, without sound—
in gestures, meanings are found.
Coloured pens, a map of days,
and a planner, where time lays.
Sketched in the ink of tactile thought,
where moments, not pixels, are caught.
An iPhone, glowing with its hum,
a world condensed, a constant drum.
With messages, calls, the blur between
the screen and life, where I’ve been.
A lanyard swings, with a fidget ring,
a dance of hands, a steadying thing—
A quiet pause, a breath in between
this world of noise, of silent shouting.
I think of years when this was not—
when paper and pen held more thought.
And games were books, or a simple song—
the way it was, the way it’s gone.
An archaeologist might, someday,
find this bag, and try to say
how we lived in times of shift,
how analog and digital drift.
My bag, a mirror to my mind,
to how I read, and play, and find
the ways to speak, the ways to plan,
to trace my place, to understand.
In each item, a story unfurls,
of past, of now, of shifting worlds—
I carry more than just what’s used,
I carry the life I’ve chosen, infused.
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The process of transmediation involves translating ideas from one form of expression to another, transforming the meaning while preserving its essence. In this case, the blog post about the items in my bag has been transmediated into a poem, shifting from a detailed, analytical reflection to a more lyrical, evocative form.
This transformation highlights how personal items can represent more than just their practical use—they tell stories about our habits, identities, and engagement with both digital and analog worlds. Through transmediation, we see the shift in how we interact with text, media, and tools of communication over time, blending the tangible with the digital in a way that resonates with both the past and the present.
