#poetryresponse

[angelauniversalsky]

#response #initiated #poetryresponse #youmademedoit #bringiton #lovememes https://www.instagram.com/p/B2WbebkFKUN/?igshid=18znajn1gv2v2

[maliza]

Thought I'd do a little something different and share some responses to poems I got... More coming #feelinalive #alive #dead #lettinggo #truth #poetryresponse #poetrycommunity #poetrysociety

[coolmint204-blog]

This Is Just To Say- Poetry Response

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold

I chose the poem "This Is Just To Say" by William Carlos Williams because I thought it was a short but funny poem which I liked a lot. This poem reminds me of the time our creative writing teacher, Mr. Ben, at OxPrep 2015, told us to write a poem based on the title of the poem, "This Is Just To Say", before reading it out loud. I thought it was a great poetry prompt, because you can easily make a really deep poem out of it or a really simple one. In this poem, I can easily relate to the part where the author kind of "taunts" the person who this poem is directed to by describing the plums, in the lines "Forgive me, they were delicious, so sweet and so cold", because sometimes when I try to apologize for doing something I think I describe the situation in a way which might make things worse for me like the author plainly does in the poem. One word that describes this poem is forgiveness because as one can see, a whole line in the poem is dedicated to the word "forgive me" so as to accentuate the author's plead for forgiveness to the one this poem is directed towards.

[coolmint204-blog]

Who Understands Me But Me - Poetry Response

They turn the water off, so I live without water,

they build walls higher, so I live without treetops,

they paint the windows black, so I live without sunshine,

they lock my cage, so I live without going anywhere,

they take each last tear I have, I live without tears,

they take my heart and rip it open, I live without heart,

they take my life and crush it, so I live without a future,

they say I am beastly and fiendish, so I have no friends,

they stop up each hope, so I have no passage out of hell,

they give me pain, so I live with pain,

they give me hate, so I live with my hate,

they have changed me, and I am not the same man,

they give me no shower, so I live with my smell,

they separate me from my brothers, so I live without brothers,

who understands me when I say this is beautiful?

who understands me when I say I have found other freedoms?

I cannot fly or make something appear in my hand,

I cannot make the heavens open or the earth tremble,

I can live with myself, and I am amazed at myself, my love, my beauty,

I am taken by my failures, astounded by my fears,

I am stubborn and childish,

in the midst of this wreckage of life they incurred,

I practice being myself,

and I have found parts of myself never dreamed of by me,

they were goaded out from under rocks in my heart

when the walls were built higher,

when the water was turned off and the windows painted black.

I followed these signs

like an old tracker and followed the tracks deep into myself

followed the blood-spotted path,

deeper into dangerous regions, and found so many parts of myself,

who taught me water is not everything,

and gave me new eyes to see through walls,

and when they spoke, sunlight came out of their mouths,

and I was laughing at me with them,

we laughed like children and made pacts to always be loyal,

who understands me when I say this is beautiful? 

I chose the poem "Who Understands Me But Me" by Jimmy Santiago Baca because out of the two survival poems I liked this one better, mostly due to the fact that I think the prisons in the United States are kind of messed up. I think the author wrote this poem to express the feelings he had while in prison, and how he at first felt lonely while in prison, but then started to make friends and started to see how he had grown to be a better person, as shown in the lines "and gave me new eyes to see through walls, and when they spoke, sunlight came out of their mouths, and I was laughing at me wih them." This poem makes me feel optimistic because the author, even while being in such a dark place such as prison, found out that his life isn't that dull as he thought it would be, and found friends and happoness during his sentence. My favorite line from this poem is "who understands me when I say this is beautiful" because, combined with the poem title, make for a nice lesson to be learned in life, how one can make light out of darkness, per say.

[coolmint204-blog]

Untitled - Poetry Response

My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun -

In Corners - till a Day

The Owner passed - identified -

And carried Me away -

And now We roam in Sovreign Woods -

And now We hunt the Doe -

And every time I speak for Him

The Mountains straight reply -

And do I smile, such cordial light

Opon the Valley glow -

It is as a Vesuvian face

Had let it’s pleasure through -

And when at Night - Our good Day done -

I guard My Master’s Head -

’Tis better than the Eider Duck’s

Deep Pillow - to have shared -

To foe of His - I’m deadly foe -

None stir the second time -

On whom I lay a Yellow Eye -

Or an emphatic Thumb -

Though I than He - may longer live

He longer must - than I -

For I have but the power to kill,

Without - the power to die -

The poem I chose was one of the many untitled poems from Emily Dickinson because I have heard of this writer before and I wanted to see how good her poems were. I think the author wrote this poem because possibly she might have been going through some troubles in her relationship with someone, as possibly demonstrated by the lines "Though I than He- may longer live" which might have to do something with a person close to her passing away. This poem makes me feel bittersweet because it has a somewhat of a sad ending, but is also shown to be happy in the majority of the poem, right after meeting "Him", shown in lines like "And do I smile, such cordial light". I can see that this poem is mainly about love, most likely for someone rather than for something. This can be shown all throughout the poem, mainly wiht the line about her smiling after the person replies to her. In this poem, I can relate to the author's feelings about beforehand being sad after a certain someone comes and "picks her up", and makes her happy, since many a time I have felt sad and someone close to me was sure likely to help me and cheer me back up.

[coolmint204-blog]

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus- Poetry Response

According to Brueghel

when Icarus fell

it was spring

a farmer was ploughing

his field

the whole pageantry

of the year was

awake tingling

near

the edge of the sea

concerned

with itself

sweating in the sun

that melted

the wings’ wax

unsignificantly

off the coast

there was

a splash quite unnoticed

this was

Icarus drowning

The poem I chose was "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by William Carlos Williams because the author had also written "This Is Just To Say", which I had looked at back when I was in Oxford with my creative writing teacher, David Benedictus. This poem reminds me of other mythological characters that are similar to Icarus, for example, King Midas, who because of his own greed, had to pay a terrible price. My favorite line from the poem is "unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed" because it describes that not only did Icarus drown, but that not many people even noticed his death, with people continuing on what they were doing. One word that describes this poem is indifference because even though a person was drowning, in this case Icarus, the rest of the people continued on doing what they were doing, as described with "a farmer was ploughing his field" and "concerned with itself".

[coolmint204-blog]

Alone- Poetry Response

Lying, thinking

Last night

How to find my soul a home

Where water is not thirsty

And bread loaf is not stone

I came up with one thing

And I don’t believe I’m wrong

That nobody,

But nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires

With money they can’t use

Their wives run round like banshees

Their children sing the blues

They’ve got expensive doctors

To cure their hearts of stone.

But nobody

No, nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely

I’ll tell you what I know

Storm clouds are gathering

The wind is gonna blow

The race of man is suffering

And I can hear the moan,

‘Cause nobody,

But nobody

Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone.

The poem I chose was “Alone” by Maya Angelou, mainly because we chose it at random, but also because it has an interesting title. I think the author wrote this poem to express her thoughts about how people can succeed in life, mainly by the alliteration of the lines “Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone”. This poem makes me feel thoughtful, since this poem is really philosophical, thinking about how in fact no one can make it out here alone. Therefore, I thought about it deeply and figured out that she was right. After reading this poem, I question if there ever is a way to make it out here by being alone. All the examples I could find of successful people didn't accomplish everything by themselves, and I wonder if there is any example of a person who is alone being successful. Clearly, a lesson that can be learned from this poem is to not be alone, as expressed continuosly throughout the poem, so if you want to be successful, you must do it alongside others. My favorite line from tis poem is "There are some millionaires with money they can't use" since it reminds me of Bill Gates, who I'm pretty sure it would be impossible for him to spend all of the money he has before he dies, showing how much of his millionaire money will pretty much never be used.