The things they carried blog response

I definitely preferred this story more than any we have read so far.  What I really liked about it was the authors use of repetition, how he used the same basic idea but in a different way each time so that the reader is able to learn more about the characters depicted in the story. This  use of carrying items as a metaphor is very effective, as it conveys a great deal in a relatively simple way. From the initial listing of physical, practical objects, which include several personal objects of each of the individually named soldiers, which illustrates a lot about the character of these me- the man who carried the bible, or the one who carried condom. The other uses of this metaphor include how they ‘carry themselves’ while in battle, and the memories the carry with them.

The other use of metaphor was the representation of civilian or ‘normal; life in the portrayal of the girl Martha. It is made clear that she is symbolic, when the central narrator decides it is because he was constantly thinking of her that caused his friend to die. The point in the story where he burns her letters- the ones that never mentioned the war- is a clear rejection of his former life.

The time jumps in this story are also an interesting feature. Events are not listed chronologically, but are only united in terms of the list of what the men are carrying.

Writing Techniques

I really enjoyed both Emergency and The Things They Carried, particularly because the writing styles used in each were so different. Emergency used a lot of dialogue which made it feel like you were present in the scene. The language used also gave you an idea of what the main character was like. Phrases like "bent over in the posture of a child soiling its diaper" (275) and its "tasted the way urine smelled" (277) are oddly descriptive sayings that a normal person would not think of. They are definitely the way a nurse thinks. It is clear that she is unphased by normal things, as she so calmly states that "around 3:30 AM a guy with a knife in his eye came in" (275). I have an aunt that is a nurse and this is exactly how she reacts to things - almost nothing can surprise her anymore.

In The Things They Carried, the language was extremely detailed. Sentences were long and descriptive, and there was almost no dialogue. At points it felt like I was reading someone's diary. I really liked how the word "carried" had so many different meanings. It could refer to emotions, drugs, a body, a "grandmother's distrust for the white man" (367), condoms, a diary, and rock, comic books, etc. The list goes on and on. The language was very dense and heavy, like how I imagine constantly being surrounded by death and violence would feel. One particular line that stuck out to me was "And they dreamed of freedom birds" (382). These men dream of being free, living life without the fear of dying, and being with those who they love. It was written in its own single line, which I believe added to its dramatic effect.

11/13/14 Writing Techniques

Emergency by Denis Johnson was filled with dialogue, imagery, and dark humor. Starting from the first page to the last, the story is mostly told through dialogue, it gives us a good feeling of the characters. Even the last sentence is dialogue. Georgie says "I save lives" when Hardee asks him what he does for a living. This was a really strong ending because it shows us how Georgie really feels about his career, and he is proud of what he does. The imagery is also a very important part of this short story. We can imagine the grotesque image of Terrence Weber having a knife in his eye that was placed there by his wife. The imagery really makes one feel like he or she is there with the characters, quietly experiencing everything they do. The dark humor is my favorite aspect of the story. Georgie's character really adds to the mass of it. He pulls out knives nonchalantly and doesn't remember the patient afterwards. He gives the author a nice dose of sass as well. The sarcasm, knives, and dead bunnies really add a nice humorous feel to the story. Although I feel like the story was a bit fast-paced and sort of all over the place, I still believe it is a great narrative.

Short Story Techniques

The short story, “Emergency” Denis Johnson uses two distinctive techniques to lay out the story for his readers. Johnson creates a narrator who is a drug user and works in a hospital, which makes him an attention grabbing character. The other character, Georgie, is just as interesting and also a pill-popping drug user. These characters are so random with what they see, say, and do, that it is baffling as a reader. Without diving deeper into the text, this story is just insane. Johnson uses what I would call abstract imagery, unknowing what’s real and what’s not. For example, the character Georgie is not hurt or disgusted by the terrible circumstances of the rabbit he accidentally ran over. Instead, he finds an enormous desire to care for the baby bunnies that the rabbit was impregnated with. Everything seems like a hallucination, but has an underlying truth of how life works.

In “The Things They Carried,” the story seems to be more genuine because of the dialogue. Grammar is not taken into consideration with casual cursing and broken English. Tim O’ Brien breaks into his characters minds with what they desire and fantasizes about, like how Jimmy Cross feels for Martha. As a reader I was able to easily tap into how the soldiers felt, like the guilt and pain they had after the death of Kiowa. Tim O’Brien writes with a descriptive flow. His written language is a strong technique. He also keeps a repetitive theme. He brings up the "things carried" (which some could be forms of symbolism) and then listing the weight of those things more then once. 

The Things They Carried

My favorite thing about “The Things they Carried” is the extreme use of details. I love how in the description of the items that the soldiers carried, the items revealed character details and different personalities. As the author lists different items, he goes into stories. I also like the constant contrast between strong and weak. Lieutenant Cross, as a soldier, is supposed to be weak; yet, when he is weak, he and his team suffer- same for Ted Lavender. I loved how the soldiers didn’t just carry things, but also carried each other, as well as infections, lice, and ringworms. The author mentions how the soldiers carried the “burden of being alive,” which encompasses things- not just their items, but the difficulties and complexities of life. So in a sense, the items symbolize the obstacles human encounter. Yet at the end, when Cross burns the letters from Martha, we realize that the things don’t matter. 

The Things They Carried

Though it wasn't my favorite short story we've read so far (that would probably be "Emergency" just because it was a interesting read and because Georgie is such a fun, unique character), "The Things They Carried" definitely left an imprint on my mind - nothing really mind-blowing per se, but something you just can't stop thinking about. All the rich, gritty detail with which Tim O'brien describes Vietnam  and the pounds of weight that the men carry make the pages physically seem heavier. The way O'brien presents the story reminded me of Kurt Vonnnegut's repeated phrase "So it goes." from Slaughter-house Five. The mentality that that was just the way it was and there's no way to change it. "Over and over - there it is, my friend, there it is - as if the repetition itself were an act poise, a balance between  crazy and almost crazy...because Oh yeah, man, you can't change what can't be changed, there it is, there it absolutely and positively and fucking well is" (380-381). The enormous weight the men carry is also outweighed by the emotional baggage they have to lug throughout the war. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's unrequited love for Martha is painfully doubled by the guilt he bears for putting that hopeless love before the men he has to care for. All the random things the men carry, like Rat Kiley's comic books or Henry Dobbins's pantyhose, serve as ways for the men to continue having an idea of the civilian world with which they have lost touch. I think my favorite line in the entire story is the short sentence on page 372: "They all carried ghosts." The men carry vestiges of what they once were, and, if they ever go back to their old lives, it will never be as they once were.

Emergency

For this, my final blog post, I will be talking about Emergency. I'll go over the writing techniques that I liked, and why I loved the story. Enjoy.

One of my favorite parts of Emergency was the creative use of flashbacks. In a cliche story, a flashback might come during a time of the main character's realization that something from his past is triggering something in his future. A martial arts master might remember some particular thing about his training while in the final moment of his greatest battle. Bullshit like that. But in Emergency, the flashbacks were scattered all over the story in strange places that didn't really have much to do with the story until the final flashback (which still didn't really have that much to do with the story). It's difficult, sometimes, to even tell where the story is heading, and whether it's in a flashback or in the present. I like that a lot.

I also liked the character development a lot, because it threw me off guard. When we're first introduced to Georgie as the orderly who is scatterbrained and always stealing pills, we get the sense (because of the way the main character talks about him) that the main character is NOT like Georgie. But later in the story, we find out that the main character is pretty much exactly like Georgie. And throughout the story, we find out that Georgie might not be as incompetent as he seems, and may have a gift for surgery/"saving peoples' lives."

In conclusion, this is the worst, most poorly thought-out ending to a blog post that I could've ever thought of. But maybe it's kind of clever. I don't know.

Emergency and The things we carried

"Emergency" succeeded in developing character through the use of dialogue.  This story created its characters with snippets of dialogue, followed by quick descriptions that put such a clear image in my head of that portrayed character, especially Georgie.  From the line, "there's so much goop inside of us, man", to when he pulls the knife out of the Terrence Weber's eye without even noticing, the reader gets a good depiction of who Georgie is.  By the end of the book, the reader understands that Georgie is not a try-hard, but a very caring, brave, and all around good person.

"The things we carried" was very clever in the way it was written, but also very depressing.  I am currently reading "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy, so i'm about to overload on depressing war literature, but I saw many similarities between these writers.  They both use lots of descriptive run on sentences, although O'Brien's were much easier to read, given that I was not reaching for the thesaurus at least three times a page.  I perceived "the things we carried" like a stream of consciousness, and besides Jimmy Cross, the characters were not exactly described individually in great detail, but more so as one pack of people.  Unlike "Emergency", where there were less characters, but more focus on development.

The Things They Carried

Tim Obrien's "The Things They Carried" is written in the direction of a collection of short stories or a stream of consciousness both representing the horrors of the Vietnam War, as well as the identity and life experiences of each soldier. The setting of course takes place in a war zone however Obrien is careful to dive into the lives of several solider characters. The details go from distant memories, to wishful thinking (Jimmy Cross' infatuation with a college girl named Martha), as well as tiny details of what each soldier brings with them on their dangerous journey. Most of the time Obrien describes these items in simply a bland, materialistic way; however there is also an underlying meaning behind them which may make an allusion to the title "Things They Carried." The things they carry can represent both fragments of their former selves before being conformed to warfare, and stripped down to a uniform and a gun, as well as burdens they may carry with them. These burdens may be a result of what happened in their pasts or past regrets, or they could be burdens of warfare, and traumatizing events that most likely took place within the jungles of Vietmam during such a bloody war. Overall Obrien's writing techniques revolve mostly around a sort of stream of consciousness narrative while revolving around the lives, emotions, and pasts of several soldiers, that are most likely designed to become relatable to the reader.

Denis Johnson's Emergency

Denis Johnson's "Emergency" is primarily dialogue-driven which complements the fast-paced nature of the story. Since it is situated in an emergency room, it makes sense that the plot progresses quickly, and allowing conversation to carry the story is the most effective way to do so. This device also lends a face-paced sense of immediacy to the storyline, and therefore allows the reader to become convinced and engrossed in the story more easily. Whenever Johnson does interject, he writes in first person and adapts a casual dialect that allows the piece to be conversational and again complements the immediacy of the story. He also emphasizes the episodic nature of the environment he is writing about by jumping from scene to scene, again, adding to the immediacy.

Emergency

One technique evident within the story "Emergency" is the use of dialogue. The dialogue within the text is very prevalent and functions in multiple ways including creating a scene and revealing character. For example when Georgie and the narrator are talking following Georgie's removal of the knife from the man's eye, Georgie's responses are very cool and relaxed, "'How's the guy doing?' I asked 'Who?' Georgie said". Georgie's indicated to the reader that Georgie was unfazed by the action of removing a knife from someone's eye, this spoke loudly about his character revealing things such as; he's not squeamish, he's brave, he's one to act then analyze. All of these things are revealed through the short phrase "Who".
The author also uses dialogue to create a scene which adds momentum to the story. This is best exemplified when examining the scene where Georgie and the narrator run over the rabbit and then discover its babies. This scene is almost completely dialogue but by inserting phrases "It's getting late, let's get back to town." and "We can't go on I don't have any headlights." Both of these phrases exemplify how the author uses dialogue to describe an issue which in turn creates the next scene for the story. This makes the story flow together very nicely and allows it to move in a way which does not feel forced.
A final technique used within the story is summary.  The author uses summary to describe the scenes, but keeps said summaries relatively short. This works effectively because the readers are then offered some contextual description without getting lost in long, irrelevant descriptions. One place where I think the author achieves this seamlessly is the summary preceding the rabbit scene, "After awhile you forget its summer. You don't remember what morning is". While concise, these two sentences describe both the season, and also enlighten the reader to the feelings of the narrator.

Blog 4: Workshop

     The best part about being workshopped, was receiving constructive criticism. It was interesting to hear what others had to say in regards to my poem. The difficult part about being workshopped was receiving conflicting advice. It was confusing to hear one person offer a suggestion, and then another person say otherwise. Being workshopped is such a humbling experience- it is a reminder that writing is a process and is never done perfectly the 1st time. 
     To workshop was totally different because I was the one doing the critiquing. I know people, often times, take their work personally. Knowing that people can be sensitive about their work, it was pretty uncomfortable to have to offer suggestions and/or critique the poems. But as the saying goes, 2 heads are better than 1. And even better than 2 heads? 14! It was wonderful to collaborate as a group to help contribute to the masterpieces of one another. 
     It is difficult trying to decide how much I should change and/or edit the poem based on suggestions, while remaining true to my original context. It also difficult changing the lines and/or stanzas in ways that make sense to others. So many times I have a hard time conveying my thoughts into actual words. 

Workshop review

I found workshop to be a really fun, positive experience and a great tool in my writing. It was really great to get such positive feedback from the class. I'm not sure anyone notices, but it made me tear up a little.

One of the most difficult aspects was not being allowed to speak or answer the questions or comments people made in the course of the discussion, but just sitting back and listening to the ideas and critiques were having was an interesting experience. Some people had some conflicting ideas on what to change/ expand on, which  was interesting to think about. All the comments were very helpful, and I paid particular attention to the classes critiques on possible changes in the form and grammar. I actually did end up taking quite a bit of it into consideration when I re edited the poem again.  Even reading the poem aloud to the class helped in this, as poetry tends to sound different when spoken.

Overall it was such an enormously beneficial experience and it really helped. I am not ashamed to say I went home and re read over all the lovely things people said in their comments, grinning all the while.

Workshop

Workshop was better then I expected it to be. Honestly, I was nervous to have my poem critiqued. I was worried and unsure how to react to the criticism. Confrontation is not my forte. So, when my time came and I read my poem aloud, I was surprised by the responses I got from my classmates. Every part of my feedback was constructive and useful. I enjoyed it more then I thought I would.  It was cool when my own concerns about the poem were shared among the class. This gave me a chance to hear some helpful opinions on how to improve my piece.

The one thing I love about poetry is that you can read a poem and take what you want out if it, especially if its unclear on what it is about. A lot of the responses I got were “I’m not sure what its about, but I love the way it sounds” or “Its mysterious and I like it, it could really be about anything.”

In particular, someone said it was delicate; kind of like a song. This was a really important response for me. That is exactly what I was trying to go for when I wrote my poem. I wasn't looking for people to completely understand where I was coming from, I wanted to leave room for imagination. I appreciated everything that was said in workshop. I can only hope my comments on others poems are as helpful and useful as everyone else's were for myself.

In turn, I am grateful for having the opportunity to be work-shopped. I now understand what AG meant when she said it can be “addicting” It’s a weird thing to be thankful for, but I am! I'm currently working on rewriting my poem and I cant wait to re-share it with everyone.

Workshop Reflection

I have done a workshop once before. It was senior year of high school, I think, in my writing class. We workshopped short stories.

God damn, that workshop was not even real.

I learned almost nothing from that workshop. No one had any criticisms. No one had any thoughts about form, sentence structure, or grammar (the easiest thing to have thoughts about). If anyone did say anything, it was probably along the lines of "It was good" or "I liked it." I think Mr. McQueary probably shared my frustration with the class.

This workshop was the polar opposite, and it's probably because everyone who is in the class wants to be there, has a vested interest in creative writing, and was not forced to sign up for the class. I received criticism, praise, and analysis from my peers that helped me think of revisions and improvements before the workshop was even over. If anyone was critical, they were not malicious. If anyone was congratulatory, they were sincere.

Additionally, by being forced to read my poem in front of others, any delusions about its quality had to be swept away. And that's good; delusions about its quality had to be swept away. And that's good; delusions about the quality of your writing are bad. I think when poems are workshopped, it forces the author to humble him/herself and come down to earth. Someone who thought their poem was deep and meaningful might realize in a workshop that it was actually just hoity toity bullshit.

Not that anyone's poem was like that...

Workshop

Workshop was a very surprising experience for me to say the least. I have never much been bothered by other people's commentary on my life, whether said commentary regards me personally or academically. That's why I was surprised when workshop made me so nervous.  Throughout the workshopping of my poem, I found myself extremely tense. Not on the fact that I was being evaluated but because I was unable to offer any sort of explanation for my poem. It was unique to have to hold a certain confidence that your work will be able to stand on its own two feet. Being able to explain and defend your work when presenting it is a much different experience than having to offer something which you feel confident is transparent to your reader.
Another surprising thing about workshop for me is how much I thoroughly enjoyed helping my peers in the editing process. I found great joy from gaining an understanding of everyone's pieces and helping them prepare another draft. Analyzing the brilliant works of my peers and being able to offer assistance for their structure, wording, or even just a compliment enlightened me to the unique perspective I have to offer as a writer. I have found that I truly enjoy writing as a whole, not just the finished product but also the process of procuring something to be proud of.  This experience has inspired me to attempt to become involved in publishing, on both sides of the concept.
Finally, this experience in workshop has opened my eyes to the possibility of becoming published. I didn't imagine that publishing was such a tangible idea; I had always assumed that it instead was this impossible dream. Overall, I think that this workshop experience has been immeasurably beneficial to me as a writer.

Workshop Reflection

Workshop gives us an opportunity to get thorough feedback from our classmates on our work, which we don't get to do in many of the other classes we take. The result of revising our work with the help of our classmates will surely be great narratives. Workshop has taught me that the reader's interpretation of your work can sometimes be even better, or different, than your own. Overall, I believe that workshop has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing how all my classmates revise their works based on the feedback given in class.

poem workshop

I really enjoyed the workshop experience. At first I was a little apprehensive to have to read aloud in front of so many people, but having a bit of previous practice when we read in class sometimes definitely helped. I found it kind of funny listening to the class try to decipher peoples’ poems and to look at the face of the poet who so desperately wanted to blurt out what it was really about but had to wait until the end. Hearing so much good feedback definitely helps with confidence when writing. I also really liked the fact that people actually gave good constructive feedback that is beneficial to our work, rather than just saying nice things so they do not hurt anyone’s feelings.

When I first finished my poem I did not think there was much more I could do to change it, but from the class discussion I got so many insightful ideas about how to better change words and phrases that I think it really took my poem to a new level. I also found it really helpful to actually read my work aloud because when you hear it spoken from your lips rather than just in your head it is easier to point out which parts need to be worked on more and which parts work really well. I also like the fact that the whole class reads over / edits our work, rather than just having it edited by one peer because you get so many different ideas and feedback to work with. I finally see what Professor Groner meant by the fact that workshopping can be addicting – doing it once just doesn’t feel life enough!

Workshop

Workshop has been such a helpful experience. It's less intimidating that I initially imagined it would be because we're all vulnerable together and share a same purpose: improving both our own work and the work of others. I've appreciated everyone's honesty and feedback thus far because everyone has come to class with such good intentions and every suggestion comes from such a genuine place. Everyone has been considerate and respectful throughout the process.

At the time I submitted my poem, I didn't think there was much work I could do to improve it. I was content with the piece as it was. The problem is is that I couldn't see the piece beyond my own limited vision of it. It was necessary to have an audience —particularly a vocal audience — willing, not only to read the piece, but to honestly come forth and point out what was working and what wasn't with it.

It was refreshing to read my own work from another's perspective. It breathed fresh life into it and I was able to see it in all its potential. Workshop has been invaluable thus far. I do hope we take more time to do similar sort of critiques throughout the rest of the semester.

workshop

Workshop is a good way to help the students critique their writing.  It is very helpful for the author to hear a collective of thoughts and critiques from many different people, in order to figure out what problems in their poem really need work.  Everyone is very respectful to each other and wants their fellow students to succeed.  It is nice to hear compliments about your poem, as well as what could be changed.

One problem I faced is that I'm not very good at critiquing other people's work.  Unless it is something very evident, I feel weird changing or editing someone else's piece.  It comes from their mind and it is their words, and I'm no master poet to be judging or editing something as abstract as poetry.  Maybe I just need some more practice, given that I have not written much poetry until now.

I enjoy writing poetry and reading other peoples poems.  Since I know everyone who writes these, it gives me more incentive to want to compliment them, as well as let them know what could be changed, even though I just explained that I'm not very good at that.  Still, I like workshop as an editing process and I think we should use it more. :)

Workshop

As nerve wracking as Workshop is, I have found it to be incredibly helpful and encouraging. I think it is a great technique how the work is read out loud and then carefully critiqued after by each member of the class without the writer commenting at all until the discussion is over. It is good that the poem is read aloud to everyone since how a work sounds being verbalized is very important and gives further insight into details you probably would not notice when reading silently to yourself.

Second I found how each member shares what they liked about the poem first very efficient, since this avoids everyone from talking over each other. This tactic also gives the writer plenty of time to write down any notes they found useful from everyone’s advice about their work. The workshop then seems to turn into a group discussion about the pros and cons of the work. I like how the discussion is very thorough and everyone gives their interpretation. Going into it I didn’t expect the discussion to analyze just about every detail about my poem along with others, but I found that most helpful and it opened my eyes up to details I never even noticed I had written, as well as areas of the poem I probably would have not thought of critiquing.

The discussion goes from the form of the poem, the title, the grammar, the plot, and the interpretation which is very helpful and useful to both the readers and the writer. Overall I felt workshop to be very rewarding, helpful, fun, yet intimidating in the best way. It is an excellent way to improve your work with both positive and negative feedback which is always necessary in order to improve.

Workshop Blog

If there's one thing I 've learned from workshop, it's that your audience wants to see you do well. In the week before workshop, I had this nagging, irrational thought in the back of my mind that "They are going to tear me apart." However, after seeing it done two times now, my general impression is of my peers giving each other pleasant, helpful criticism out of a desire to see each other succeed. I also like that workshop begins  on a positive note with everyone talking about what they liked most about everyone else's poems; it's a great way to ease into the process.

Although I think of myself as creative, poetry is a horse on which I've never come to have that great of a handle. It's not something I ever took seriously, and I have always kind of dashed it off to the side. However, there's no better way to get better at something than for others to tell you what you are doing wrong and what's good, which is the essence of workshop. Workshop has done two things for me: it's made me appreciate the art and process of poetry, and it's taught me to become a better writer. I'd also like to say that it's made me a more confident person as well.

Perhaps the only drawback I can think of is that we're only doing one poem. Other than that, though, I can't think of any negatives to fellow poets discussing each others' material and helping each other to be better writers.  Workshop has allowed me to think of poetry from a different angle than what I'd grown up with. It's been a daunting, new experience, and I'm glad my first foray into workshop is a positive one.

"Facing It"

 At first glance, Facing It is about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I enjoyed the amount of imagery we see when he mentions the women who is brushing a boy's hair; And the small snippet of the war flashback he gets in his head as he touches the name Andrew Johnson make it sound like he was there with Andrew Johnson.

Bishop, Wright and Hass

“Filling Station” by Elizabeth Bishop

This poem was definitely successful in illustrating a very specific setting. So much so that it becomes the focus of the poem. The gas station, or “filling station” that Elizabeth Bishop describes creates an image of a run down, slow-working, business that has been passed down to generations of the same family name. It is certainly not your local, corporate run, shell station. What I liked most about this poem is that it takes a simple place, and goes into grimy depth with it.

“Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” By James Wright

I sympathize with this poem. Often, I find myself visually taking in my surroundings, admirably.  I can get lost in a moment for over ten minutes. Ambiances can grasp your attention like that. James Wright describes one of his own moments in this beautifully short poem, and then ends it on a thought which I know has crossed everyone’s mind at one point or another (at least every day myself) in five words. “I have wasted my life”

“Meditation at Lagunitas” by Robert Hass

Robert Hass touches me with particular lines in this poem. You know when you read certain lines of a poem, and they just sort of jump out at you, and you’re like, “Woah I completely and totally GET THAT.” It’s written in free verse form with no location in particular, but that’s not what’s important in this poem. From what is described, in an easy going, conversation-like manner, is a glance back to his childhood. The title does however bring together the piece as whole. Assuming that Lagunitas is a place and meditation is referring to his reflections. 

"Filling Station" and "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota"

I thought that the way Elizabeth Bishop explained the setting in “Filling Station” was really interesting. She began the poem by describing all the dirty people and things inside this gas station, the opening line being “Oh, but it is dirty!” (page 33, line 1). I thought it was particularly interesting to describe this gas station with an “over-all black translucency” (page 33, lines 4-5) because that image is so contradictory. These lines allude to what we later learn about the workers of this gas station; their whole life is a contradiction. The details of the personal lives and stories behind these workers are unknown, but it is clear that they are dirty, ‘manly’ mechanics. The station at first glance is not very inviting, with a cement porch and a grease-covered dog, but upon further inspection we notice things one would typically find in their grandma’s living room; a daisy-embroidered doily covering a table set; a large begonia. This station, like the men, are not as dirty and drab like they are at first glance.

            “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” by James Wright describes the subjects surroundings from his point of view in a hammock (as the title says) in grave detail. He describes the scene of a typical farm, but from a slightly different angle. He speaks of “the cowbells follow one another” (page 290, line 5) rather than describing the actual cows. He focuses on their sounds rather than their being, because their sounds are affecting him more in this moment. The final line of the poem, “I have wasted my life,” (page 290, line 13) at first seems like it comes out of nowhere because everything before seemed lighthearted. But after rereading the poem as a whole, some of these lighthearted images can be seen in a much darker light. He notices “The droppings of last year’s horses” (page 290, line 9), showing that he dwells on the past.

James Wright and Robert Hass

Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota
Wright employs vivid visual imagery, such as the "bronze butterfly" and the "field of sunlight between two pines." These visceral descriptions allow the reader to wander off from their waking life and become immediately transfixed into a dreamy, absent-minded daze similar to Wright's. The way he mixes metaphors — fire, excrement, and stones in "The drop pins of last year's horses blaze up into golden stones" — allows the reader to register awe in lieu of such trivial and banal matters as the subject being discussed. The place is primarily introduced to the reader through the emotions that such descriptions evoke — namely as having a serendipitous, serene atmosphere. The shift of the poem registers before the final line, a declaration that he has "wasted [his] life" by laying listlessly in this hammock, watching wonderful mundanities occur all around him instead of actively engaging with them. I sense that there is no tinge of regret here, though, and because of this, the word "wasted['s]" atypically negative connotation is spun around, in this instance hinting more so towards the idea of passively savoring the bliss of being, instead of feeling obliged to be bothered with the trouble of doing.

Meditation at Lagunitas
This poem centers around the idea of deriving meaning from the outside world — Hass employs images of a "clown-faced woodpecker probing the dead sculpted trunk of [a] black birch" to illustrate what visual image prompted his declaration that "all the new thinking is about loss" and "that each particular erases the luminous clarity of a general idea." These images make tangible the setting, and allow the reader to be transported to the same setting as Hass, as if to allow them to derive these same conclusions from the world they would be surrounded by. Here, he is talking about how words never quite do justice to the actual thing of it — how when one assigns a definitive word for what a "bramble of blackberry corresponds to," one is actually writing an elegy for it. He claims that things dissolve when described – things like "justice, pine, hair, woman, you, and I" become less than they actually are, or rather diluted. However, the reader is forced to disagree when he immediately contradicts this assessment by his vivid depiction of "a woman [he] made love to" and how he "remembered... holding her small shoulders in [his] hands sometimes" and feeling "a violent wonder at her presence." This suggests that when words do not evoke tangible, colorful images, then they take away from what is being discussed, because through his poetry and his utilization of rich textile imagery and emotional depth, the reader is allowed the opportunity to identify an experience with Hass, if only for a small moment. He does imply, however, that what is evoked by these words— his saying them, his writing them, his seeking to explain them — is reduced to mere wishfulness and longing for the return of those tender "afternoons and evenings." He is left repeating "blackberrry, blackberry, blackberry" as if calling out for what has gone by, and hoping all the while that the reconstruction of these memories does not pale in comparison to the begone manifestation of them. He thirsts for their reincarnation and writes with the purpose to shorten these "endless distances" that longing imposes.

"The Bight" and “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota”

One of the most successful ways Elizabeth Bishop establishes the sense of place in the poem “The Bight” is in the first line "At low tide like this how sheer the water is". The use of the words 'like this' create the impression that the place she is referring to is real and immediate, and that the speaker in the poem is present at the location actually describing everything around her. the choice of title also makes it clear of the scene she is depicting. The series of images are successful in setting the scene, in several instances she refers to the colours the ‘white, crumbling ribs of marl’ , the  ‘Black-and-white-man-of-war-birds’ and ‘blue-gray sharks’. In addition to the visual imagery created, the use of other senses- mostly sounds and smells also contribute in illustrating a vivid picture of the landscape presented - the ‘smell’ of the gas, and the sounds of the water with the use of words such as ‘crash’.

James Wright’s poem “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” is another poem that establishes a sense of place really well. The title itself is incredibly specific, almost like an address with the full name and location of the poem. The opening line clearly shows the poets own presence with the use of the phrase ‘over my head’. What follows is a presentation of several details about the scene, the ‘bronze butterfly’ (good use of alliteration) the ‘droppings of last years horses’, the ‘chicken hawk’. The poet uses colour frequently in his description- the ‘black trunk’, ‘green shadow’, ‘golden stone’. He does not only rely on what he sees however, one interesting part was the reference to the ‘cowbells’ not the cows, which successfully illustrates the sounds in this poem.

Grease, Peace, and Memory's Release

Elizabeth Bishop's "Filling Station," James Wright's "Lying in a Hammock...," and Yusef Komunyakaa's "Facing It" gave me vivid descriptions of the place which each wanted me to experience. Each poem is filled to the brim with imagery. "Filling Station" uses words such as "oil-soaked," "oil-permeated," "greasy," "saucy," and "dirty" to appropriately give the idea of a family filling station for cars. "Lying in a Hammock..." does an even better job of describing place than "Filling Station" through the use of imagery and simile to place the reader in a calm setting at William Duffy's farm in Pine Island, Minnesota. "To my right, In a field of sunlight between two pines" definitely gives the reader a specific vision of trees and the familiar view of sunlight on grass. The line "...I see the bronze butterfly, Asleep on the black trunk, Blowing like a leaf in green shadow." uses simile to give the reader the calming feel of lying in a hammock, watching a butterfly gracefully pass by. However, out of the three poems, "Facing It" made me feel the most like I was in the place being described - in this case, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It employs imagery and metaphor (stronger than simile) to allow the reader to get a grasp on not only the place, but the author's feelings about the place. "My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite....No tears. I'm stone." Within the first five lines, not only does one get a sense of the place (which is explicitly named six lines down), but one also receives the valuable information of how the author feels simply being in this sacred place. The best line in "Facing It" is "Names shimmer on a woman's blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall." simply for how Komunyakaa describes the not-forgotten feel of the names imprinted on the wall of the memorial.

Bishop "Bight" and Wright

“Bight” by Elizabeth Bishop is quite successful in its description of place since it uses a good amount of devices and plenty of imagery to give the reader a clear understanding of the setting or place. “White crumbling ribs of marl protrude and glare” is a good line in the sense that referring to a “rib of marl” is a unique choice of wording, since ribs of the marl is irrelevant, but perhaps allows the reader to visualize much better what the text is describing. “Blue-gray shark tails are hung up to dry for the Chinese-restaurant trade” is also a good line since the reference to a Chinese restaurant trade does not make much sense or is illogical when referring to a ship harbor, however it allows the reader to relate more to the text since they are receiving an outside the box comparison.

James Wright uses similar poetic techniques in his work “In Response to a Rumor That he Oldest Whorehouse, in Wheeling, West Virginia, Has Been Condemned” Wright uses illusions to forests, lakes, ponds, and other wildlife places to describe a deadly or “wild” city. “Upstream from the sewer main” the reader can imagine a combination of settings of both a concrete jungle like city, or an actual wildlife setting. Wright also describes the women walking the streets in the story as “Swinging their purses, the women poured down the long street to the river and into the river.” The women are written as being similar beings in spirit to swans or maybe ducks, that travel the waters or streets together. “What time near dawn did they climb up the other shore, drying their wings?” The mention of drying their wings can be an illusion to preparing themselves for another grueling day in the city. Wright uses these devices as a sort of metaphor, except it extends throughout the entire work. 

"The Bight" by Elizabeth Bishop and "Night, Death, Mississippi" by Robert Hayden

The poems I found the most interesting are “The Bight” by Elizabeth Bishop and “Night, Death, Mississippi” by Robert Hayden. I found it interesting how both poems reflected fire and roughness (or a sort of abruptness that made me cringe). Hayden and Bishop use the title as the first method of revealing place.

            In the “The Bight”, which takes place at the shore, Bishop compares her observations to the process of poetry- starts off simple like a “low tide,” but as you continue to write, your ideas create fire in your brain, that then becomes gas, which leads to music. The poem ends, stating “all the untidy activity continues, awful but cheerful.” The final line implies the continuation of poetry. Once one poem is done, another begins. Her detailed use of imagery makes the poem appeal to the senses. I could not only feel the crashing of the pelicans, and the fire from the flames, but I could also envision the array of colors that reflect the different objects. Throughout the poem, as Bishop continually describes her view, her location becomes even more obvious than it is in the title as she describes the “waves”, the “dock”, the “pelicans”, and “boats.”

            “Night, Death, Mississippi” describes the acts of a lyncher after having lynched someone. The narrator appears to be an observer recounting the lynching performed by a grandfather and a grandson- it is the grandson’s first time. The grandfather rewards the grandson with bottle in which “he’s earned.” Since Hayden mentions “white robes like moonlight,” I assume the lyncher is a KKK member. Hayden’s repeated use of “time was” makes it seem as though the lynching was normal. His reference to Jesus on the cross seems to signify the innocence of those who were lynched.

The Bight: Crunchy Descriptions

I really enjoyed reading "The Bight" by Elizabeth Bishop. For me, the best way to describe a place to someone is to use absolutely amazing descriptive words, phrases, and metaphors.
Although, even though I feel like the entire thing COULD be an extended metaphor, Bishop doesn't really use a lot of metaphor in her poem. Mostly, she uses descriptions and words that evoke sensations of the 5 senses from the reader.
Examples of some of my favorites are "dry as matches," and "how sheer the water is."
But it's not just the adjectives that make it this way. Her repetitive use of the words "dry" is, in itself, one of the most important aspects of the poem. The words like "tense," "untidy," "pickaxes," and "chicken wire" all give the impression that the place Bishop is describing is dark and unpleasant. As she says at the end, it's "awful but cheerful."

Stating the Location

Elizabeth Bishop's poem "Filling  Station" states location within the first stanza, and yet remains interesting enough for the reader to want to finish the work. Using repetition and contrast  throughout the poem is one way which Bishop effectively establishes a descriptive location. An interesting contrast within the poem is present when comparing the repetition of the word "dirty" with the repetition of the word "doily" in the second half of the poem. A doily is a delicate lace piece which is used for decorations on tables, this contrasts the grime and dirt observable within the first half of the work. This contrast breathes a sort of air into the work, as the gas station doesn't fit the stereotypical concept of a station. She does this by attributing more than just a physical presence to the building, showing the life that lives within and around it. This is established by the mention of the father and sons within the second stanza and is solidified by the closing stanza. Bishop's use of questions is also effective in conveying the sense of life that the station holds and carrying the poem smoothly along.  Such as the fourth stanza which is mostly comprised of questions, questions which, according to the  wording, could be directed towards the people living at the station.


"Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota" by James Wright  is another poem which directly states the location.  Wright's choice to state the location allows him to give a detailed universal account of what is observable without need for explanation. The poem employs various prepositional phrases, implying a sense of omniscience to the scene. Furthermore, Wright's word choice is  rich in texture, such as "a leaf in green shadow." and "Blaze up into golden stones."; using these words paint a beautiful scene which imply observation. Finally, the title offers a connection to the final line. Lying in a hammock is usually a relaxing thing, and Wright's choice to use this word is significant. The highlighting of beauty throughout the poem and the connotation of relaxation associated with the idea "lying in a hammock" can draw one to conclude that the final line is a remark on the amount of beauty the narrator has, at this point, missed.

Fathers

The poem Fathers by Grace Paley is interesting since it is very emotional and personal. It is referring to perhaps a hard time in history that hints at a country in war where father’s had to leave their homes and their family’s for an extended period of time. The poem is perhaps an allusion to a time of warfare for a country of people, and alludes to the unstable family dynamic and struggle during that time. “See fatherings of many colors with their round babies on their laps this may also happen in the country side these scenes were brand new exciting for an old woman who had watched the old fathers gathering one again in familiar army camps.” The description of the old woman perhaps observing today’s fathers in a public setting such as a subway transit is very thoughtful since perhaps the most profound scenes are simply observed in a normal daily setting. The scene of the father sort of mothering his child can be seen as a relief or a blessing, a good thing basically to an older generation of parents since whatever the situation past fathers did not have the opportunity to so called “mother” their children. This scene gives the poem theme and much depth with plenty of allusion to a difficult time for an older generation. The image of the father being so close with his child in “many colors” draws attention to an age of almost enlightenment in the next generation, where fathers are a part of their child’s life. The work also describes these scenes as “brand new” perhaps hinting at a happier age in the typical American family. Paley designs the poem as if it a flash back and it is interesting to dive into the old woman’s perspective as she observes such a simple scene on a New York subway. 

Fathers

Fathers by Grace Paley was a poem kept my attention from start to finish.

"Fathers are more fathering these days they have accomplished this by being more mothering."

I enjoyed this part because even if the poem is about fathers, the mothers are being complimented because the fathers are only better fathers because of the mothers.

The poem addresses war as well, and reminds you of how there used to be a time where most, if not all, fathers went to war and the mothers stayed home and acted as both father and mother.

I enjoyed the fact that Paley mentions that these new fathers don't only exist in the suburbs, but also in the countryside. As if you couldn't discriminate between fathers because good fathers can exist anywhere instead of just in the city, which is usually more of a liberal setting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this poem. It gave us a glimpse of the present and past of fathers around the world.

Stillborn

After a debate with indecision, I concluded that "Stillborn" by Sylvia Plath was the best of the Bunch.  I found it very interesting how metaphors were not scattered throughout the poem, but the poem was just one huge metaphor.  From the first line, "these poems do not live: its a sad Diagnosis", I gathered that this poem may be about unfinished work that shoulda-woulda-coulda been finished, but now just waits in a notebook somewhere.  In Slyvia Plath's case, it is about her poetry that she cannot bring to life.  Sometimes I stumble across incomplete projects, songs, lyrics, or even doodles, and they all make me wonder "what ever happened this?".  Sometimes I even run into work that I thought was finished, but obviously was not.  Although I do not think of a stillborn baby when I run into old discontinued work, I see how her morbid metaphor works.

I like the middle stanza, because it seems as if she is excited, looking at her poetry, thinking "this is good stuff!", but cannot find a way to execute it.  Or maybe she did execute it, but it still does not sit comfortably in her self criticism.  The line, "They sit so nicely in the pickling fluid!  They smile and smile and smile at me", briefly puts the spooky, and sad image of a baby staring at me through a jar, but moreover make me think of when I look at unfinished work in my notebook.  And when I try to finish it right then and there, it usually doesn't seem to smile at me anymore.  "and still the lungs won't fill and the heart won't start".

The imagery, metaphor, and voice in this poem is very enticing, but also depressing.  I did some research, and found that Sylvia Plath did not have a stillborn child, but did suffer from depression.  Hopefully I understood this poem correctly, as a metaphor for writers block, and not a literal account of her baby.

The Language of the Brag. Lorien Ennis

Poetry response- The language of the brag - Sharon Olds

There are several things about this poems that caught my attention. I've read Sharon Olds before so I was familiar with some aspects of her style.

The aspects of this poem that particularly caught my attention is the use of repetition of the words 'I have' at the beginning of nearly every stanza. I found it very successful in forming a kind of rhythm, as well as creating a clear unifying sense of theme throughout the entire poem. Also in stanza four, the repeated use of ‘my’, provides a kind of contrast from the other stanzas as well as a more personal tone.

There is also great use of poetic techniques throughout the poem, consistent use of alliteration - ‘blade’ ‘bark’ ‘haft’ and ‘heavily’ in stanza one ‘belly’ and ‘big’ in stanza four and ‘giving’ and ‘glistening’ in the final verse. The use of enjambment creates a more contemporary impression as the poem does not conform to any particular traditional format or use of scheme of rhyming.

The poets use of imagery in this poem is particularly vivid, and is my personal favourite aspect. Her word choice is clear, simplistic, and incredibly authentic. The opening image of the knife throw is particularly effective in catching the attention of the reader, as it is a violent image. The list like fourth stanza presents several images in quick succession and along with the fifth stanzas, is perhaps the most dramatic, and create brutally honest images of the process of childbirth  -

I have lain down and sweated and shaken

and passed blood and shit and water and

slowly alone in the center of a circle I have

passed the new person out

The association of childbirth with the process of creating poetry, which is addressed in the final stanza, and a really interesting theme.

To a Waterfowl

The poem which took me most by surprise, as well as amusement, was “To a Waterfowl” by Donald Hall. At first it is amusing because Mr. Hall addresses his all of his poems,

“Women with hats like the rear ends of pink ducks

Applauded you, my poems”

And then he goes on about the husbands of those very women who like his poems, and how he meets these men on airplanes. He touches upon on how the husbands react to him, engaging in small talk, mockingly. But in turn, he describes himself as the one who comes up on top, driving in limousines to wellness clubs with fine h'orderves and drinks.

Woman seem to be his biggest audience.

And they say, “hah-hah? My goodness, Mr. Hall, but you certainly do have an imagination, huh?”

“Thank you, indeed,” I say; “it brings in the bacon”

He then again addresses his poems in the 5^th and 6^th stanzas.

But in different light; now he is in a motel, with a flask and the film Godzilla Sucks Mt. Fuji.

But hey, he says he’s feeling superior.

Next, he addresses whom I believe to be is the reader, or just an average civilian in blue jeans, a group of average Joes maybe.

 “Will you ever be old and dumb, like your creepy parents?

Not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you.”

Before reading this poem I did not know what a “waterfowl” was. After looking it up, I found that it meant “ducks, geese, or other large aquatic birds” which in regards to the poem entirely, was the icing on the cake for me. Donald Hall is clearly witty, which makes this poem a satire for sure. He has literary freshness, conversing with his poetry as if it were a close friend, creating dialogue. His wording directs us through a short story line, with clever twists that work like a double edged sword. 

Gabrielle Buzaid

The Language of the Brag

I loved this poem because commonly, marks of valor, strength, and greatness are reserved for grand acts and unusual feats of extraordinary means, like "crossing... waterfalls" and "throw[ing] kni[ves]". These endeavors are usually connotated as masculine, and in turn, reserved for men, as indicated by Olds' claims that she has idly "stood by the sandlot and watched the boys play." She uses grand metaphors to illustrate these points; namely, "the blade piercing the bark deep" and "the haft slowly and heavily vibrating like the cock." These further illustrate the notion of power she is rebelling against.

When taking claim to her own act of grandeur — giving birth — she emphasizes the gruesome details of her plight. Her belly becomes "big with cowardice and safety," her "stool black with iron pills," her "huge breasts oozing mucus," her "legs swelling," her "hands swelling." It is almost as though through structurally building up these symptoms and "swelling" them into messier and messier problems, she is building up to her eventual surrender; her laying down.

The shift occurs whenever the reader realizes that this laying down is her ultimate act of triumph and strength. Surrender is usually connotated as a weakening, a pulling inwards into the self. Olds redefines it as spreading her legs wide and giving birth, as ridding herself of "blood and feces and water," as ultimately, fully exposing the self and becoming great because of it. She is fully exposed and vulnerable in this moment and she demands to be "praise[d]" for it. In doing so, she reclaims what is is to be powerful and do something great, and subsequently turns concepts of masculinity, patriotism, and heroism as Whitman and Ginsberg define it into a limiting construct. She transcends the limitations such narrow-minded thinking imposes.

Stillborn

Though I am not a father, Sylvia Plath's poem "Stillborn" gives me a glance into the sadness a parent experiences when his/her child has died before even being born. It blends the happiness of a new life with the sadness of that life having been taken away far too quickly. "They smile and smile and smile and smile at me. And still the lungs won't fill and the heart won't start." I find that line to encapsulate the whole poem: a parent doesn't understand why it happened (because everything seems normal), but his/her child is dead. I do not really understand Plath's employment of conceit in the lines "They are not pigs, they are not even fish, Though they have a piggy and fishy air-" Although I understand that she is trying to relate a stillborn baby to pigs and fish, I do not comprehend how they go together. However, I love this poem's vividness, especially in the lines "They grew their toes and fingers well enough, Their little foreheads bulged with concentration." It gives the idea of a well-formed baby that should be fine, but, in the context of the poem, the sadness sets in as the reader begins to realize what has happened. Plath may not think of her poem this way, but I think this poem is one big paradox. She begins with the line "These poems do not live: it's a sad diagnosis." Not only does this line evoke a hint of science and gives me the feeling of a relative being diagnosed with something like cancer, but I think it also just plain lies."Stillborn" is very much alive, even if its subject matter is painfully dead. There is nothing boring about this poem, and it never falls flat. It evokes the sad emotion of a parent losing his/her loved baby and, to use the cliched phrase "to add salt to the wound," the further confusion of why he/she lost his/her seemingly healthy baby.

The Grammar Lesson

I chose to focus on Steve Kowit’s “The Grammar Lesson” because I thought the content of the poem was really important. It is really common among people today to have a very minimal understand of grammar and for them to be completely unaware of it. This oblivion has always bothered me, and clearly it bothered Kowit too since he chose this topic as his subject matter. Kowit used many poetic techniques. This poem is a villanelle, consisting of five stanzas of three lines and one of four lines. It has two reoccurring lines: “a noun’s a thing. A verb’s the thing it does (page 312, line 1)” and “The can of beets is filled with purple fuzz (page 312, line 3).” Each time these lines are repeated, their importance and meaning change slightly. Kowit uses perfect rhymes within these stanzes, rhyming words like “does” and “fuzz,” and slant rhymes such as “known” and “brown.” He also uses alliteration, meaning the consonants of multiple words begin the same. Alliteration is pleasing to the ear when read aloud because it flows so quickly. Examples include “an article, a can’s a noun (page 312, line 5),” and “or might be, might meaning not yet known (page 313, line 8).” There are also many examples of caesuras throughout the poem, meaning that a pause occurs within a line. Caesuras change rhythm and can put a greater emphasis on a certain part because a pause gives you more time to think about what you have just read. I thought the poem was a really creative way to educate people on the subject of grammar. It is almost comical in how blatant he is; by putting these grammar rules in such a simple way, he’s sort of subtly calling out peoples’ stupidity.

Annus Mirablis

"Sexual intercourse began
in nineteen sixty-three
(Which was rather late for me)-"

The poem which most appealed to me was Annus Mirabilis by Philip Larkin. What interested me the most about the poem was the short, rhyming lines. I myself, often write overly detailed and so there is a kind of beauty which attracts me to concise works. The density that overtakes the small lines makes the words all the more powerful. Furthermore, my interest was sparked when the word "Beatles'" struck my eye. As did the odd punctuation, such as having an entire line be in parentheses. One thing that surprised me about the poem was the title. I read the title after reading the poem and was confused as to how the Latin phrase connected to the poem. After some research I discovered that the phrase means "year of wonders," which only added to my fascination with the work.

 Within the poem Larkin employs an end of line ABBAB line rhyme scheme. This rhyme scheme is unique  and works through the use of  enjambment, making line transitions smooth. Alliteration is also visible throughout the work on various lines, it is present on the fifth line of stanza 2 and 3. These lines are longer in syllables in comparison to the other lines in the stanza and the alliteration adds intensity to these longer lines.  The use of repetition is also visible within the work. Larkin repeats the first stanza again as the last stanza, changing only the first line.

The things which I love about this poem is its sense of nostalgia, specifically nostalgia for a period of freedom. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion which can be difficult to express without sounding whiney, I think that Larkin effectively portrays this.  One aspect of the poem which confuses me is the third stanza. While feel I have grasped the other stanzas' function and content within the poem, this stanza seems out of place in comparison. I am unsure at what Larkin means by both "quarrel" and the phrase " And every life became."

Poetic Trebuchet

For this blog post (kind of an unimaginative opening, I know) I picked this poem:

"O Western wind, when wilt thou blow,
That the small rain down can rain?
Christ, that my love were in my arms
And I in my bed again!"

Initially, there are three things that caught my attention. In order of most-attention-getting to least-attention-getting, they are: 1. "Christ!" is my absolute favorite exclamation; 2. I love how the author says at the end that he just wished he/she were in his/her bed again. Like, I feel that way during my 9:30; and 3. The use of the word "rain" twice so close to each other intrigues me a lot.

Probably part of the reason this poem in particular caught my eye is because, as the book points out, it contains no metaphors, only simple imagery. Usually when I think of quintessential poetry (or, bad poetry), it's boiling over with similes and metaphors, like a lot of Emily Dickinson poems that I've read. This poem, however, is not only insanely short (which I also love), but is jarring. That is to say, it only uses simple imagery and assertive language to drive a point across, rather than dancing around that point to make you guess at it. And then, at the end, the author be all like, "I just want to go to bed, holmes!" Sorry for my sudden outburst of street-talk (I was raised on the streets, you see. By gangsters. And wolves...wolf-gangsters?), but my point is that, at least to me, this poem takes all the things you would expect from a poem, and throws them out the window with last week's tax returns.

Then there's one last thing. The last line, "And I in my bed again!" can be interpreted different ways. I, personally, interpret it as a juxtaposition against the rest of the poem, like he's just tired, and he kind of interjects that at the end of the poem. But, it could also be interpreted as having everything to do with the the rest of the poem. So it's like this poem is launching this subject material at your face with a god damn trebuchet at pointblank range, and you look at the giant boulder that's coming towards your face, and you see some etching on it, and you say "oh, maybe this came from the side of a building." but then you look at the other corner of it, and you see there's some moss there, and you think "maybe the bombardiers just found this boulder in a swamp somewhere."

And then you die because a boulder the size of a Lexus that's crushed up into a crude sphere hits you square in the fucking face.

Dang.