Henry+Poetry+Log

__//**August Reads**//__
This poem has interesting rhythm as most lines are cut off with a - I also found the touch of humor in the process of robbing the house interesting
 * 1) I know some lonely Houses off the Road by Emily Dickinson**

I absolutely love this poem because it reflects the stressful life of an average HS student. Although it is more dramatic in diction, the reader can easily empathize with the struggling poet.
 * 2) In the Black Forrest by Amy Levy**

This poem is presented in a really respectable tone, the author describes his situation with vivid imagery and metaphors.
 * 3) I Have A Rendezvous With Death by Alan Seeger**

The poem uses a sequence of rhetorical questions to display human sympathy towards others who experience pain and suffering.
 * 4) On Anothers Sorrow by William Blake**

the poem's narrator is describing his emotions when leaving mother earth. He describes her beauty as warm, pure sweet and fair.
 * 5) Goodbye! by Richard Aldington**

the British author describes his experiences surviving the German bombardment in London. He compares the situation with "earth" and "torn" at the peacefulness that followed with a jet blue sky and unmoving clouds.
 * 6) Bombardment by Richard Aldington**

The narrator states that being alive is too difficult and not worth it Death is the only way out? makes you wonder... // Don't wonder too much...it's not the only way. //
 * 7) The Inventory of Goodbye by Anne Sexton**

The author illustrates the joys and pains and scares of being in love with someone to guess if they are in love, this is the greatest mystery that everyone faces
 * 8) It's Raining In Love by Richard Brautigan**

The poem beautifully paints the picture of a great woman the narrator is greatly in love and can be easily envied upon...
 * 9) To Lady Jane by Vachel Lindsay**

10) The Inventory Of Goodbye by Anne Sexton I really love the vivid imagery presented by the author of the poem. The inventory the author describes, a list of memories, tucked away forever, strikingly beautiful poem.

11) Goodbye! by Richard Aldington The narrator proclaims his love for mother earth and parallels such feelings with those with a woman. I love the loose tone of the narration.

12) Hey, That’s no way to say goodbye by Leonard Cohen The repetition in this poem is very creative, almost seems like the chorus of a song. Very melodic, and great use of imagery.

**//__SEPTEMBER READS__//**
1) Homeward Bound by Henry Van Dyke The poem reflects clearly the time period for when the poem was written. WWI. The german sub vs allied battleship warfare exemplifies the intensity of braveness in the young marines’ hearts.

2) Home Rupert Brooke The poem delineates the narrator’s sleepless night with hallucinations of a woman he wishes to see. The comfort of home marred by the loneness of night, the reader is drawn to sympathize for the narrator.

3) Infant Sorrow by William Blake An interesting perceptive of an infant’s sorrow, in the eyes of a third person observer. The imagery also raises the importance of parenthood to a child and how important they are to our lives.

4) The Faithless Shadows. by Aleksandr Blok The narrator describes the church with cold, chilly words which is a very depictive and unorthodox imagery of a common church. She isn’t afraid of the arrival of death and instead openly waits for it’s arrival.

5) The rose family by Robert Frost And short, concise poem on a man’s analogy of a woman he loves. He compares how the fruits of the world have changed and yet the woman he loves will always be the rose he loves. Short, sweet, and beautiful.

6) A Lost Angel by Ellis Parker Butler An interesting progression of how a fearful encounter can turn into an unexpected love. Good repetition makes the poem really rythemetic

Checked 18 September 17/15-25 KBoyce

Diverse collection, but could incorporate more female poets. Careful with literary terminology (ie author vs poet).

7) Snow Flakes by Emily Dickenson A short fun lighthearted touch with a little personification gives the reader a yearn for winter~

8) In the Black Forest by Amy Levy The narrator describes her pain really descriptively, at first, I related the narrator’s stress with my own, yet about half way through the poem, the narrator’s tone shifts to death, which is a bit too serious and heavy for my current situation… Saddening…

9) The Moment by Margaret Atwood At first read, I thought that the person described by the narrator was a lover, yet now I understand that the love that is described is different, it is love with mother and daughter. Makes me appreciate my own mom…

10) A Moments Indulgence by Rabindranath Tagore “to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure”. Dedication of life symbolizes the gift from mother to son. To sing is to celebrate with one’s mother… When have I done that?

11) Imitation by Alexander Pushkin The narrators personifies death to be a person at the narrator’s door steps. Makes me remember the book, //Fences//, where the protagtonist is described to be fighting death. Also, here, the narrator brings a somewhat accepted attitude to death, which contrasts that of Troy. Interesting compaison.

12) lonely by Raymond A. Foss this is one of the most unique poems I have ever read. The author prescribes insertions of dates into the poem which acts as a seperation of events and is like a divide.

__//**October Reads**//__
1) To Autumn by William Blake Wanted to read a specific poem associated to October Break right now. Bountiful harvests, vivid imagery, good wine, personification with a woman. Really accentuates the beauty of a western autumn… At least the weather during the break now is good!

2) Celebrate by Anna Akhnatova Title parallels National day right now. Akhnatova’s use of detailed imagery paints a cold winter scene that proudly shows off her Russian nature.

3) The Fury Of God's Goodbye by Anne Sexton The diction is simply, straight forward. Each line is short but the sentences are long. Must be to convey the direct, confrontation the speaker and her lover/husband/boyfriend had, and the sadness and confusion that followed.

4) Sonnet 10 Yet, Love, Mere Love, Is Beautiful Indeed by Elizabeth Barrett Browning The song like structure of the poem really accentuates the speaker’s love and only mere love for the man for her dreams. The speaker’s emotions and expressions in reaction are really heavy throughout the poem which also add to the intensity of the love.

5) Nothing Gold can Stay by Robert Frost The rhyming couplets delineate the point that nothing good can stay that way forever. This reflects to the Buddhist way of thought where nothing lasts forever. Everything that is good, beautiful, will only die later in a matter of time. Interesting poem, provokes thought and connects with Buddhism.

6) Sea Shell by Amy Lowell The poem consists of many “s” sounds which is similar to the alliteration in the title itself. The poem reminds me of a tongue twister of ‘sea shells at the sea shore’. The poem itself is really easy to read and can actually be sung aloud. Love it~

7) Petals by Amy Lowell The poem is of the speaker dreaming of his/her future. The dreams, ambitions, hopes, in a way this is similar to the day dreaming I do about my future. This poem connects surprisingly well with me and I really like it in general.

8) Gardening by Jonathan Bohrn I chose this poem hoping to find something light when I was browsing for one to read. However, I was disappointed to know that halfway through the poem, the mood stiffens and the speaker reflects his experience from gardening with earth’s gift to life. This is a good poem, but the title can really mislead one though…

9) Ohio by Jonathan Bohrn

The poet uses the extended metaphor of rivers to illustrate the coldness of Ohio when comparison the ‘lucky’ rivers in Amazon or Nile as they don’t have to have their blood frozen. The poem is simple and straightforward. Something light but yet bountiful in substance.

10) For The Foxes by Charles Bukowski

This poem is compiled of many different stanzas, each being only a couple of words long. This structure is interesting as there are many pauses which give the reader a time for thought recollection. The poem has some religious connotations, as the only two words that are capitalized are, God and Christ. This poem has a spirit raising attitude, as the line, ‘don’t feel sorry for me’ is repeated many times. The narrator’s optimistic attitude is commendable, even in many desperate situations.

11) Toilet Seats by Robert William Service

I love this poem. The author compiles his initial dispassion towards toilet seats, but is later transformed into a toilet-seat loving person. Throughout, he compares his own with his friend’s toilet-seats, (one with gold plated, one with neon lights, and one with paint splatters) and finds Tom’s the one with thermoheat the most “welcoming”. The narrator would definitely love Japan.

12) Sympathy by Emma Lazarus A definite heavy touch of olden English, with a lot of ‘s’ words. Sympathy, sin, shrink, swell, shalt, struggle. The narrator is actually at the church confessing and saying that everyone is equal in front of the face of God. She expresses that God has sympathy.

13) The Little Dog's Day by Rupert Brooke The twist at the end is definitely really disturbing. The dog, at the beginning of the day, was enjoying itself, and playing with the other dogs. It had a great, carefree life, until sundown, the time it died. The mood shifts dramatically from joyful to death. Makes me realize how little time I still have still my dog…

14) The Dog Lovers by Spike Milligan This poem is the underlying reality of how dog-owners treat their dogs. The dog described in this poem, is already better than most others, with TV and central heating. However, this only tortures the dog even more, and drives it mad and insane with boredom. This song breaks my heart.

Today they will cry for you- Tomorrow they will but another dog.

These are the worst but best lines.

15) My Dog by Robert William Service This poem has a much better ending with it than with the one before. The poem lauds a good owner and the narrator believes that a man’s best friend is a dog, and that the narrator truly loves his dog and only had one dog.

//__**November Reads**__// 1) Forgotten History by Raymond A. Foss This poem really accentuates how the narrator misses his history and past. This makes me realize how time is precious and how we should review the past before we regret it when all our memories are faded and old.

2) The poem is very peaceful and heavy on the dream like imagery that the poem is composed of. I feel that the use of bugs (ants glowworm and beetle) helping each other accentuates the peaceful fantasy state of the poem.
 * A dream by William Blake**

3) The poem here really illustrates the state of serenity that acts as a safe haven away from the world of reality. I absolutely love the naïve questioning of child to father. Although the tone is obviously very simple, the question ‘why are we here in this harsh reality’ is asked and is very provoking. Great poem.
 * A land of Dreams by William Blake**

4) A very different perspective than the previous poems; instead of speaking of an innocent child, the dream that the narrator speaks of here is much more sensual. The narrator, obviously a woman, dreams of a life where she is loved and is with child. However, when she wakes up, she realizes that reality is much more harsh and that life is much more different.
 * Dreams by Anne Bronte**

5. **Dreams are Best by Robert William Service** The poem takes an fascinating, yet similar take on dreams, a perceptive lies somewhere between that of Blake and Bronte’s poems. Dreams are described to be once again, a magical place of happiness and unrestricted possibilities. He compares those who dream happily with the cynics “with you sneers”. This is particularly interesting poem because the poet himself, is a war veteran who also believes in the power of dreaming.

6) **Cat’s Dream by Pablo Neruda** The poem is very interesting as it is of one of the greatest romantics in history describing a simple, but elegant cat. With each stanza, the cat is described differently; neat, deadly, timeless, and elegant. I personally think this poem is overrated. Why? Because I am a dedicated dog lover.

7) This is a very peculiar poem; it starts with a modest beginning which the narrator describes the dreams of having a quiet tranquil home away from everything. However, the narrator then states that this is only possible with dreaming and death. I think the narrator is exaggerating the situation, but then again, she raises the question “who ever made music of a mild day” which highly provokes the way we live our very own lives and how it is generally too mellow.
 * A dream of Trees by Mary Oliver**

5 Dec 2011 46/45-75


 * 1) ** 1. ** ** Phenomenal Woman ** **by Maya Angelou**


 * The speaker feels pressured to be one of the women described in modern society. The beauty illustrated clearly states the social pressure that the speaker is clearly aware and against. Makes me understand the difficulties of being a woman.**


 * 1) ** 2. ** ** Where the Sidewalk Ends ** **by Shel Silverstein**


 * The speaker is trying to delineate the point that childhood is the only period in one’s life when one can truly be free. This is because when one grows up, is when the side walk ends; we must learn to always keep the internal ‘immaturity’ even after adulthood.**


 * 1) ** 3. ** ** If You Forget Me ** **by Pablo Neruda**


 * Whoa, this poem is actually pretty sweet but yet, it brings out the realism that many of us in modern society lack. Love must be mutual, and if the opposition does not love you back, you must move on and continue with your life, you must not stage a part of life that must only be considered stalking.**


 * 1) ** 4. ** ** i carry your heart with me ** **by E. E. Cummings**


 * The presence of the enjambment and the loose structure of the poem reminds me of the song by Céline Dion, My heart will go on. Both cases delineate a strong sense of love for the opposition by the respective speakers.**


 * 1) ** 5. ** ** A Dream Within A Dream ** **by Edgar Allan Poe**


 * Inception: life may really be a dream within a dream. Every grain of ungraspable sand, slipping, falling, washing away from reality. “**Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?”


 * 1) ** 6. ** ** There is another sky ** **by Emily Dickinson**


 * The faded forests, darkened fields and darkness bring forth the eerie mood of the first section of the poem. Austin, possibly the brother is told not to worry about the future. The second part of the poem begins by stating the beauties of the speaker’s garden. It is important to stay positive after many difficulties and struggles and that is the hope that the speaker is trying to highlight.**


 * 1) ** 7. ** ** Life Is Fine ** **by Langston Hughes**


 * Although the speaker uses the motif of ‘life is fine’ throughout the poem and title, I feel that the tone is meant to be highly sarcastic and ironic. The speaker talks about suicidal thoughts many times throughout the poem, it is possible that it may relate to society’s issues with African Americans during the time period.**


 * 1) ** 8. ** ** A Girl ** **by Ezra Pound**


 * A girl’s transformation from human to tree reflects my personal ideals. Although I feel that we should embrace nature with reference to the Gaia Hypothesis, I feel that many of us are alternating the true meaning of ecocentricism and turned it into a scheme for publicity. And this is the curse of the girl speaker.**


 * 1) ** 9. ** ** Messy Room ** **by Shel Silverstein**


 * You may say there is a hidden meaning in this poem but I seriously don’t see it. This poem is simply hilarious! I love the style of Silverstein’s poetry in this poem and it really brings forth the equilibrium of simplicity and greatness. **


 * 1) ** 10. ** ** Bear In There ** **by Shel Silverstein**


 * Again one of Silverstein’s poems. I really enjoyed his Messy Room poem and thought that I would expand more on his style. Bear In There is one of my favorite poems as it really brings forth Silverstein’s humorous style. Sometimes, I think I may be the bear in my house’s fridge. **


 * 1) ** 11. ** ** To My Wife - With A Copy Of My Poems ** **by Oscar Wilde**


 * The speaker in this case is sort of like me, unconfident about his writing abilities. The only difference is that Wilde’s stuff is actually good while mine, is simply terrible. Well, as Wilde said, when someone appreciates my work someday, I guess I shall also love them back more? **


 * 1) ** 12. ** ** Still I Rise ** **by Maya Angelou**


 * Wow, Maya Angelou really is inspirational. Her words are like ten inspirational posters clustered into one poem. No matter how many times you fail you should always keep your spirits high and your head up. Hmmmm. **