Plath - "Edge"

There isn’t much that I understand about Sylvia Plath. There is poignancy to this poem, that death is glorified. This poem seems to say that in death there is perfection. The only way that Sylvia Plath would be happy is if she were dead. “Her dead / Body wears the smile of accomplishment” portrays that because this woman is dead, she has not only accomplished something during her lifetime, that she accomplished something in death. The wisdom of this poem says the same. That there is this certain accomplishment is death in the eyes of the author. With all of the accomplishments made in life, “Her bare / feet seem to be saying: / We have come so far, it’s over” it is alright that it is over. There is a sense that because you have gone so far in life, it is ok, or excised, that one dies.

Whitman – “A Hand-Mirror”

There is a certain personification within this poem as it looks into what is the real self. It speaks of costumes that are eventually stripped to show the real, sad self. We don’t really know who this person is, but we know that in truly looking at their self, there is nothing to brag about. The poignancy of the hand mirror image is that of one having to take it upon themselves to hold the mirror up to their own face. The idea that to finally look inside, and look back at yourself on your own will is a scary thought. There are so many things that we as people like to deny, but within this poem, you have to look into this “hand-mirror” in order to face the ugly person you really are, or can be.

“Keeping Things Whole” – Strand

The wisdom of this poem answers the question of who we are with the uncertain. “Wherever I am / I am what is missing” examines that wherever we are, we are not somewhere else. This poem exemplifies the mass that is our bodies but the weightlessness of our soul as we keep ourselves whole. The poignancy of the movement aspect of this poem is alarming. “We all have reasons / for moving. / I move / to keep things whole” makes us see that each one of us has a different purpose that keeps us going. There has to be something in life that motivates us to get up in the morning, to breathe and to live. The author moves to keep things whole and keeping whole you keep yourself.

“Richard Cory” – Robinson

In some ways, I find myself in this poem. Richard Corey is a man who has everything; on the outside. Everyone sees him as this perfect man who is happy, educated and rich. However, on the inside, things are different. This man who seems to have everything ends up killing himself. I have seen a lot of people who seem to have a lot, and in reality they are completely unhappy. I have had friends and classmates who have ended up ending their own lives when everything seemed fine. There is poignancy in the idea of suicide. It is a horrific thing, but on the outside, many times, things seem fine and then things take things for the worse. Death is a mysterious thing, and in no way do I understand it, but there is one understanding; it is not something that one takes into their own hands.

Frank O’Hara “Ave Maria”

I love the irony of the title and the underlying message of this poem. There is a focus on the sexual, the pornographic and the freedom to use religion. The poignancy is found in the pull between the mother letting go, letting her children experience life but letting them go to a world that me be too adult and sinful. Again, there lies sin in the words under “Ave Maria” and being taken to an apartment building “Heaven on Earth” for an “experience”, all with the pull between the sexual and the religious. Wisdom I found to lie in the balance between love and sex, not sex and religion. Sex without love is meaningless; sex is more important under love. However, even with love, religion does not see the beauty in sex. It sees it as sin, something to be done only in marriage and for purposes other then pleasure. (I therefore see no reason for religion).

W.S. Merwin “For the Anniversary of My Death”

There is a certain poignancy that comes with thinking that today could eventually be the anniversary of your own death. There is a certain mystery involved surrounding death, a certain wonder and fear, the one thing that all know that is inevitable. So why live in fear, of something that is in fact inevitable, but something that is still at least one second away; one second of life. Time and space is examined not necessarily in a literal sense, but a figurative sense. There is a wonder of when and a curiosity of how. The poem ends with a wren bowing, after three days of rain, and not knowing to what he is bowing. We need to learn to accept certain things, such as the inevitability of death and in the mean time; live life.

“The Portrait” – Kunitz

Time and Space is apparent in this poem in how the author begins with a description of how his father killed himself in the spring during his mother’s pregnancy. He also goes on to say that it is currently sixty four years later and he still feels the sting of his mother’s slap from when he was a young boy. The sting of the slap is poignant because it was such an impact that after all these years he still feels the pain of his mother, the pain she feels and her anger toward his father. It is never easy to forgive someone for taking their life, but as being one survived by a person who has committed suicide are we to forgive them? This presents the poets experience, the motivation. He is describing his experience as a boy without a father as insight to his own life so that readers can relate and understand. We are left with the feeling of the same sting.

“A Poem for Myself (Or Blues for a Mississippi Black Boy) – Knight

This poem has insight to motivation; it depicts the author’s insight to experience. A young boy leaves home and travels North to freedom. He is leaving to experience new things and a life he’s never had. This is poignant because he leaves at such a young age and at the mere age of twelve he could see that the life that he had as a black boy in the south was not what he wanted at the time. It shifts however, when after seeing all these places and being in the north, he ends up back home. The place he once left, the Mississippi south, he finally returned to; he returned home. It is the marker of his selfhood. He grew up there and ultimately decided that he would live there, or die there, all in the Mississippi mud.

"Frederick Douglass" - Hayden

This poem depicts a man who chose to and succeeded in his defiance of society in order to contribute back that same society he defied. The wisdom of this poem proves that with freedom comes consequences. “This liberty. This beautiful and terrible thing” shows that being free is not always easy. It is poignant in a way that shows a white girl that being a newly freed black man is difficult but eventually allows for a vision of a better future. In my life, freedom is second nature, not having to worry about the still existing prejudice against me. Frederick Douglass didn’t have it as easy, but he chose to continue living and continue his dream. This entire poem is testimony to the author’s knowledge of Douglass and the period in which he lived.

Ginsberg - "America"

This poem personifies those Americans who are not apathetic, who aren’t willing to be walked over and spoon fed information from the media’s agenda. I find myself in this poem because I often wonder why things are the way they are. I have lived and worked for this country, but what is given in return? I am not asking for riches but I’d like to see the homeless sheltered, the hungry fed and the hurting help, I’d like to see war ended and peace spread across the nation. The wisdom of this poem is shown through the wide knowledge of different cultures and historic events. By personifying so many ethnicities, religions and views there is a level of understanding and the variety of people found here in America. By understanding the workings of the people, of the government, there can be an understanding of America, but that will never happen if we keep being apathetic.

Dunbar - "We Wear the Mask"

People always try to be something that they’re not at some point in time. Some may want to pretend to be happy when they’re not, some may pretend to like someone they can’t stand, but everyone wears a mask. At times, it’s difficult to remember who you really are underneath all the masks that we wear. In class we spoke about personas and how everyone has another side of them they may not necessarily be, but act like in order to portray something different. However, sometimes masks are necessary, or at least feel that way. “With torn and bleeding hearts, we smile …” is a line that describes a period of my life perfectly. Throughout middle and high school I was extremely depressed, but I never wanted anyone to know. The best way I thought to deal with it was to wear a mask, telling everyone else that I was happy, when in fact I felt dead inside. Since then, things have changed and that is no longer the mask that I wear, but sometimes that mask is necessary to pull out and use time to time.

Cullen - "Incident"

“Incident” is a poem that I read many years ago and have never forgotten, much like the message the child received while in Baltimore. Every time I read this poem it brings tears to my eyes. One action is powerful enough to burn into a child’s memory forever. The hate that can stem from one word, from one simple action proves the capabilities that one individual can have on another. Imagine now, if this child received a wave and a smile in return, how the trip would be different. Simple gestures send out strong messages, but do positive signals send out the same strength in their messages? It’s unfortunate to think that negative messages send out more strength, they hold more hearth and are more memorable. If only positive signals could carry the same weight, and every person gave another person at least on smile a day, what the world would be like.

Cole - "Kayaks"

The visual of this poem speaks volumes. I have kayaked for many years and the free feeling it gives you is irreplaceable. Kayaking is something I use to escape my own feelings to be free of thought or worry. As watching the kayaks and the sun soaking the lake, there is still the feeling of emptiness. Sometimes it hurts to be at one with your feelings when they’re bitter and hurtful. Escape is needed; and when you have been deceived then the harsher the feelings and the harder they are to escape. This escape comes as detachment from all that is real at the time. The emptiness is all that is comforting, but reality must come back at some point. Reality is one of the most painful things to encounter.

Cervantes - "Poem for the Young White Men Who Asked Me Howe I, an Intelligent, Well-Read person Could Believe in the War Between Races”

The idea of a land without war, without racism or hate is a world one dreams of. Sadly, even after the civil rights movement, there are still race crimes, after the rights of gay marriage, there are still hate crimes. We live in a world we think we are advanced and liberal; but today we live in a world of oppressed racism, anger and hatred. However, the idea that such a world can live inside an individual is a blessing. If one person at a time “lives” in this ideal world without war, that will project onto others. If one by one this continues on, more and more people will be living in a world where there will be no war. All it takes to live in such a world is to live with an open mind and the ability to share that with others.

Bidart - "Ellen West"

Women today have so many misconceptions of beauty and what is beautiful. This all starts with themselves; not having much self-esteem, self-confidence and self-assurance is a norm of today’s society. Every woman can relate to this poem somehow, even if they do not suffer from an eating disorder. I find that being a woman, and also studying the media, there are such warped views about women and how they “must” be skinny, short and tan in order to be considered beautiful. There is so much more to a person than their outside appearance, but of course this is not the value of today’s society. The hardest part of this poem to read was the ending, and throughout all the hardships, the disgust, the anguish, she still saw in her the eyes of her husband (and within herself) disappointment. The point I took away from this is that until you can accept yourself for who you are, there is no way that you can be capable of accepting others.

Atwood - "This Is a Photograph of Me"

“This Is a Photograph of Me” was nostalgic, reminiscent of fun times and fond memories and then hits you in the gut making you think of your own life. What will happen when I die? “… but if you look hard enough, / eventually / you will be able to see me” makes me wonder if anyone will remember me when I’m gone, and what will happen if no one does remember. The author is looking for someone to recognize, someone to remember at least the memories they once had on this lake. This poem was most poignant because it also made me think of how I might react to this poem if I were to re-read it in ten years. Now, I do not believe in an after life, but maybe in ten years I will, and see this poem not as someone wanting to be remembered, but as a figure who wants to share the memories that they were lucky enough to have.

Alvarez - "Dusting"

Anonymity becoming the institution of being has been a struggle for many people. No one wants to be anonymous, and no one ever should be. “Dusting” represents the cleaning away of someone’s name, someone’s self. However, this child refuses to become like their mother, anonymous. My mother has always encouraged me to be who I want to be, but this has not been the case for many friends of mine. I have refused to become anonymous while some of my friends find themselves in a constant battle to find who they want to be, or who they want to be at that time. The cleaning references in this poem also represent the idea of leaving behind your mark but having it erased makes for a chance to make a new mark. The ever changing self needs to make itself known, and by cleaning away the old self gives a chance to make way for the new self.

Blumenthal - "A Marriage"

“A Marriage” is one of those simple poems that pluck at the heart strings. All one wants in life is someone to help them hold up the ceiling. That is, everyone wants someone to love, someone to lean on, and someone to count on. This poem spoke to me as someone who was relieved; the author had found their other half. When you’re alone, it can feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. There are obstacles you must face without the support of someone who loves you. However, when you find that someone that will help you along way, life seems that much easier. The simplicity of just knowing someone is there, even when you don’t need them, is a comforting feeling that one is privileged to have and must never take for granted. When you have someone to hold up a ceiling with; you’re pretty lucky. That's all I want from life.

First Impressions

I want to know exactly what a lyric life is and experience it for myself. Poetry has always been a staple of my life. My grandfather is a poet currently working on his second book, but I am under the impression that this class will change my views on poetry and I am fully ready for that. I want to know what it is to EXPERIENCE poetry not necissarily read the words, nod my head like I understand and move on, never looking back. I am ready for a lyric life. I am especially excited to look at music and how it will be involved in this class. Music is my blood, my life. I live for music. The beautiful thing about music is that it's universal. Everyone has some kind of music they love. I want the same thing for poetry. I feel as though poetry is something that everyone can love but in this time we are losing site of the art of poetry.