#6... My favorite poem from week 3

Visions and Interpretations by Li-Young Lee would be my choice for favorite poem from the package. The reason I like this poem is the change that Lee uses in his stanzas to illustrate the different interpretations of a single event.

He starts off with the normal four-line stanza and then reduces it to a tercet and then to a couplet to help differentiate between each variation of his story. I like this idea for the mere fact that it sets apart each version from the other.

I also liked the idea suggested in class that he reduced each stanza to individual lessons to help the reader pay attention/ consider each element discussed in each stanza.

The breaking of the lines and stanzas in the odd places that he does kept my interest as well and made me concentrate more on how to read it properly so that it would keep its' flow and also maintain some sort of sense for me.

I think this piece is a beautiful way of looking at death and the way a child interprets, grasps and trys to deal with it.

# 5 ... Bed Talk

Why are you still lying here?
You've got to get up and face the world
These walls at which you stare
Won't conquer your fears
The ceiling is closing in
You're suffocating

Why are you still lying here?
You can't sleep it all away
The world goes on spinning
Tonight turns into tomorrow
And tomorrow's a new day

Why are you still lying here?
You can't hide from it all
The covers can't protect you
Eventually you will get back up
From the fall

Why are you still lying here?

Get up and live
You are meant for something
More than this vegetative state you're in.

Wake up
Get up
I can't hide you anymore.

#4... What is poetry?

As defined by dictionary.com:
The art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.

Class ideas on poetry:
Collection of emotion
Free thoughts -- Creative, expressive manner
Deliberate continuous flow of words -- evoke feeling/ meaning
Interpreted in various meanings
Colorful way of painting a picture of world
Expression -- Written/ Verbal/ Visual
Helps make people feel things

As defined from this list of ideas:
Poetry is the deliberate grouping of descriptive words to evoke a feeling or meaning.


My understanding is that poetry is free thought used in an expressive, creative manner to convey ones' thoughts to his/ her readers.
It is a colorful way of painting a picture of ones' point-of-view of the world.

From discussions with my dad about poetry:
In poetry you can provoke understanding by apparent contradiction.

But my favorite definition, for now, would be:

Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing.

-- Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)

#3 ... Words I like

Phenomenal -- Highly extraordinary or prodigious
Thwart -- To oppose successfully
Abase -- To reduce or lower
Fathom -- To penetrate the truth of; comprehend
Fete -- A festive celebration or entertainment
Gossamer -- A fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather
Rue -- To feel sorrow over
Sanguine -- Cheerfully optimistic
Fret -- To feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like
Daunt -- To overcome with fear
Dwell -- To live or stay as a permanent resident
Lurk -- To lie or wait in concealment, as a person in ambush
Linger -- To remain or stay in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave.