Michael+R

August 14th 2011

1. All the dead dears - Silvia Plath (Dark, gruesome, disgusting. Writes of the body of a dead woman which is encased in a coffin with a rat and a shrew)

2. The Dead - Silvia Path (devoid of hope, indifferent towards death. Talks of the dead as those who can never come back again, destined to "revolve in loops of solar speed")

August 15th 2011

3. A Girl - Erza Pound (beautiful, romantic. About his feelings towards a special girl; he compares her to a life-giving tree)

4. Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? - Shakespeare (lovely, romantic. Compares a lady to the summer's and tells her she is better)

August 22nd 2011

5. Invention of a Horse- Meghan O'rourke (the author discusses many themes, including nature, the mind, and living, all through the perspective of having a horse)

6. End of Summer- Stanley Kunitz (superficially about a change in season, but with deeper interpretation it could mean coming of age or a change in time.)

7. The Layers - Stanley Kunitz ( no rhyme scheme, like his other poem is about life, and learning about important factors such as friends/enemies or certain relationships)

August 23rd 2011

8. In Eden - David Ferry (no rhyme scheme, only three line. Uses metaphorical language to speak of divorce and separation as humans when separated from the garden of Eden)

9. Seen through a Window - David Ferry (talks of what the poet sees in a woman and man as natural. from his description it is evident that they had a fight earlier)

August 31st 2011

10. Nothing -Ken Mikolowski (very brief poem with no apparent meaning to it. Perhaps it is about life choices as he author states that one day he would replace poetry)

11. Little or Nothing - Ken Mikolowski (talks of nature, but in a very depressing way by saying that there is nothing beyond these things)

12. Addiction - Ken Mikolowski (again a very depressing tone; uses negative words such as concerned, zombie-ized, sub-medicore)

13. April night - Arthur Symons (speaks of the April night. the poem is very romantic and perhaps is talking about a story of two lovers under an April night. He describes the night with very positive words : good, cool, fresh)

14. Ode - Arthur O'Shaughnessy (talks about life, and the dominance of humans over the earth. it is in a AAbb rhyme scheme. He includes the whole cycle, from building cities to destroying them)

Checked 18 September 14/15-25 KBoyce Interesting collection. Incorporate more classic poetry and expand commentary.

15. And did those feet in ancient times – William Blake

This poem is surely a reference to the ancient times, perhaps even to the Book of Revelation. It seems to be of the story, of temporary Jerusalem in England (Jerusalem possibly to be thought of as heaven?), and now that the satanic mills (industrial revolution) has come, How can Jerusalem be restored to England.

16. The Land of Dreams – William Blake

Perhaps the boy’s mother had passed away, and the boy had seen her in his dreams, living a peaceful and happy life surrounded by lambs, mountains and streams. However his father seems to have had a similar dream, yet he could not “cross to the other side”? I think the boy wishes to escape reality whereas the father pulls him out of fantasy (wakes him from his sleep).

17. The Tiger – William Blake

A poem based around some type of Creator of things, who is personified as a blacksmith of sorts, as seen by the metaphorical language used in the 4th stanza (what the hammer? What the chain?). The poem praises the ability of the creator in making both the tiger and the lamb, as only he “could frame thy fearful symmetry”.

18. The Captain – Lord Alfred Tennyson

The captain in this poem was not a good one; he ruled with oppression and often had bad temper. All of his crewmen held a grudge against him. One day the captain orders an attack on an enemy French Vessel, but when the time came to fire, not one man budged. Unfortunately the other side fired, and the whole crew was decimated. However even in the end, every crewman watched their captain go down, and was satisfied that they had defied the oppressor. This poem perhaps is teaching a moral that a leader should treat his men well if he is to expect much from them.

19. Charge of the Light Brigade – Lord Alfred Tennyson

This poem does well to highlight the heroism displayed by the honorable Light Brigade, which successfully attempted an impossible feat. The brigade soldiers are portrayed as heroes, and the lines of the enemy are associated with dark imagery such as “valley of death, Mouth of Hell, Jaws of Death”. Ends the poem stating the great honor these men earned through their brave actions.

20. Snake – Emily Dickinson

On first read, I thought that this was just a very normal poem describing snakes in detail (what they do, their habitat, what we humans feel towards them). But when thinking back on it, the poem seems to play on the idea of a fear humans have (not just snakes). When we fear something, we do not try to approach it and immediately display physiological signs of panic. The addition of the curious child who grabs the snake, upon which “it wrinkles and disappears (perhaps meaning the fear)”, could be a hint that we should try to understand our fears before evading them.

21. The Harlot’s House – Oscar Wilde

The poem presents contrasting images of the nature of love and lust. The narrator appears both disgusted and fascinated with what he sees in the window of the harlot. The prostitutes try to dance but can only sidle (creep or slither). They laugh but their laughter comes out thin and shrill. They even try to sing, but fail. Their male partners, described as phantoms, have no true passion within them either. They seem only motivated by sexual desire. Sexuality and death repeatedly appear together.

22. To my Wife – Oscar Wilde

A simple poem, in both writing style and language, yet contains so much emotion to it. “you will understand”, seems as if the author left something for the wife herself to decipher in the poem.

23. I came upon the gnawed torso of a seal –Melanie Braverman

When I saw the title of this poem, I immediately thought it would be some sort of complex analogy for some deeper meaning in life. But upon reading it I realized it ACTUALLY is about the author finding a dead seal. Besides making a metaphorical comparison of the seal to a failed- coin toss, the language is relatively simple and the story is direct. However I felt that the decision of the kid’s was significant, probably implying an ignorance of or curiosity for death

24. No longer if we’ll get cancer but when – Melanie Braverman

Again an overall very negative poem detailing the inevitability of sickness and eventually death; more specifically she touches on this through cancer. There is a downward progression that highlights the imminence of sickness, as it starts off from when, to whom, and finally to how. The last line she says she empties ashes (perhaps a dead relative) into the wind and also compares it to a homeless person dumping trash.

=<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">25. “I used to love the run-up to a storm” = BY [|MELANIE BRAVERMAN] In the first stanza of this poem, the poet describes her house as “nothing is ever where it should be” and she goes on to say that she only remembers her mother with her in dangerous times. This in a way is implying that her father has perhaps left their family. Melanie goes on to describe the spirit of her mother in protecting her daughter (the poet) and how she never lets her vigil rest.

=<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">26. Boonies =

BY [|D.A. POWELL] In this poem, the poet is relating back to his innocent childhood life, when adolescence allowed their life to be full of color. But now due to growing up he has lost many of these old feelings of happiness and wishes dearly for it to come back to him so that he may “be beautiful” again.

=<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">27. Leaves = BY [|GERALD STERN] This poem’s structure was very chaotic, and the sentences are cut at places making a smooth read-through almost impossible. However after looking into it with more detail I picked out that the author takes a great liking to his Japanese Yew tree, and feels that with it he can overcome any chaos that goes on in his life (thus the chaotic structure perhaps). His love for the tree is also seen from him carefully picking up the leaves one by one. =<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">28. Pinhole = BY [|KAY RYAN] The author speaks of a pinhole that generates light, and how only one small piece can vanquish the darkness. His structure is interesting in that he limits each line to around 2-4 words, and therefore creates a very narrow poem. This maybe reflects the idea of a pinhole, which is a very small and narrow hole. Furthermore he touches on the themes of light and dark, where according to him it’s almost too easy for light to defeat the darkness. =<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">29. I Saw a Chapel = BY [|WILLIAM BLAKE] This poem seems to do with the corruption of the church in the form of a serpent. He first speaks of the temple as all of gold. Followers of god should not be tempted by riches, and yet their chapel is made from it. Furthermore no one dares to enter and no one worships. This is an act of fear for what has become of the chapel that it no longer serves god. Finally Blake describes a snake that enters the chapel to spit poison on the sacred items within. This directly links the chapel to be poisonous and corrupt. =<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">30. I Heard an Angel = BY [|WILLIAM BLAKE] He begins by describing an angel that sings for peace pity and mercy, and then contrasts these lines with a matching set of lines describing the devil that asks for the exact opposite. In the end it would seem that the devil was the one who got what he wanted. Every line is part of a rhyming couplet. =<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">31. Holy Thursday: 'Twas on a Holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean = BY [|WILLIAM BLAKE] Themes of unity are apparent as a group of people gather together to sing for the god. They are described as amazingly powerful as a unit, for example their voice is compared to the strength of a “mighty wind”. The poem also has ABAB rhyme, which adds to the melodic nature of the poem. =<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">32. Song: How sweet I roam'd from field to field = BY [|WILLIAM BLAKE] The speaker here is a young girl who is seduced by the love of a “prince.” Before she concedes to his seduction, everything in the world is “sweet,” “fair,” and “pleasurable.” Yet after the speaker is “caged” and her innocence has been taken from her, there is no turning back and the lover “plays” with her heart in a sadistic and tormenting manner.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">from this poem we get to observe first-hand the many conversations between Miss Beckford and her Doctor. The story is about Beckford's illness; each line is very short, perhaps implying the shortness of Beckford’s life? The relationship between the two characters is revealed as it seems they are respectful of each other.
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">33. I've a Pain in my Head **<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">by Jane Austen


 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">34. Clenched Soul **//<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> - //<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Pablo Neruda

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">this poem is about the loneliness and pain felt by one after one loses his/her love relationship. Neruda applies symbolism to express his inner emotions, he describes the sky and his sweater as "blue" to indicate that he was sad, "while the blue night dropped on the world," "and my blue sweater rolled like a hurt dog at my feet."

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The poet conveys how much of a hurry girls are in to get into relationships. They have just turned ripe and would go for any guy and insist for marriage.The rhyme scheme and almost musical rhythm to this poem really betrays the thoughts of the poet; it is quite obvious that the poet thinks teens are ridiculous these days, and thus his title the “romantic age”.
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">35. The Romantic Age **<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> by Ogden Nash

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**36. The Archer** – Vicki Hearne

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The poet describes an event where an archer shoots two arrows, the first misses the center, and the second strikes home. The beginning of the poem and the end of the poem are related as to contrast each other and thereby display the change in feeling of the archer. The first line is “ the sudden thuck of landing”, and the last line is “precise shudder the arrow.” Obviously sudden and precise are contrasts of each other, one being unexpected and the other being sure. The onomateopia of thuck creates an unpleasant feeling, while shudder generates a much more satisfying sound.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**37. Mental Mommy** – Liam Rector

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This poem is obviously from the perspective of a child, as we see the language is often incorrect (and uncle there tell me..). It is a very dark poem where we see a child separated from his mother due to her “mental issues”. When she finally comes back we find out that she had actually gone to prison. The poem also implies that it is the child who is mental with certain hints within his dialogue.


 * 38. Prometheus** – Lord Byron

Upon first read I could not understand this poem, and so I did some background research. It would seem that this Prometheus figure was very common in the themes of English literature during the 1800’s, and this poem is no exception. It is used as a symbol by Byron to protest against religion, mortality, the limitations of man, and the abuse of power.


 * 39. When we two parted** – Lord Byron

This poem is divided into four stanzas, and each talk about a different vision of a certain love separation between two individuals. We can easily sense the pain felt by the poet of the two lovers’ separation. There is no indication of the reason of separation (it may be due to the death of one, or perhaps just a split). Some interesting choice of phrases include “half-broken heart” and “colder thy kiss”.


 * 40. Darkness** – Lord Byron

I find that this poem is about a sort of degradation of humans in general. He speaks of the end of the world, and its plunge into complete darkness, as we can see from lines such as “//“The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars//, //Did wander darkling in the eternal space.”// Byron goes on to say that humans have become increasingly corrupted to becoming irrational beasts. With these two things together, I assumed that the world is falling into darkness because of the doings of us humans.


 * 41. Eve of Waterloo** – Lord Byron

Anyone familiar with the story with Napoleon would know that Waterloo is the location of one the most decisive battles of his life. It was here that he was defeated by the allied forces. This poem is a build-up to the moment before the battle, and it describes feelings felt by the allied army while they waited; these are feelings of distress and sadness, also those of vengeance and excitement. There was one area showing their anxious feeling as they took the sound of wind to be the arrival of the French army.

I feel that this poem expresses an obvious dissatisfaction with males and their “remarks”. “it in itself is quiet”, meaning it may not seem like much on its own. However it may “furnish the Fuse unto a Spark”, meaning that it can enrage someone else, and cause them to explode. The later stanza seems to plead with the men to stop, and warns them of the consequences with “ powder exists in charcoal before it exists in fire”.
 * 42. A man may make a remark** – Emily Dickinson

This poem seems to be the author convincing herself of all the reason why she cannot be dead. She could stand when the dead cannot, the night did not swallow her existence as she could clearly hear the afternoon bells. She feels a burning on her skin, but she claims that it is not fire, but rather a form of sirocco. However for some reason she feels all these things and even goes on to imagine her own burial
 * 43. It was not death, for I stood up** – Emily Dickinson

A poem that is filled with questions to the audience. She states that knowing how to forget is a good thing, but later seems to point out the many problems that are actually inherent within such a seemingly good trait.
 * 44. Knows how to forget** – Emily Dickinson

In this poem, Emily Dickinson is showing the soul as your conscience. She is saying your soul can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. It will know what you are doing or thinking always, and the fact that you certainly know whether it is right or wrong. You should not be concerned that it will betray you. It will never tell your secrets or reveal your true feelings, it will always remain loyal. The soul should be amazed and thankful for this relationship that it can always depend on.
 * 45. The soul unto himself** – Emily Dickinson

From my viewpoint, the two butterflies are lovers, and this poem explains their journey's to all sorts of different places. However I also think that this poem is not limited to just butterflies, and no it is not a symbol for humans necessarily either. In fact I think it encompasses any creature in this world, and the use of the word butterfly is probably because it generates such beautiful imagery.
 * 46. Two butterflies went out at noon** – Emily Dickinson

examines the paradoxical view that through trials and tribulations are the chosen brought to heaven. It is not an evil-doer who brings about trials, but the very Father in Heaven who does so. her argument follows the idea that those who only seek peace often never find comfort, but those who are looking for a challenge in life rather than ease seem to find that peace easily.
 * 47. Far From Love the Heavenly Father -** Emily Dickinson

It is interesting that I have chosen to read this poem right after the poem Far From Love the Heavenly Father by Emily Dickinson. The reason I say this is because I feel that their ideas are very paradoxical in a sense; Emily Dickinson seems to believe that ones destiny is predestined and unchangeable, while to Frost it would seem that the individual decides his/her own path in life.
 * 48**. **The Road Not Taken** - Robert Frost

In my first read of this poem, I thought it was a happy poem. He describes how it is almost summer, and how the trees are coming back to life again, and the birds are singing again. Yet what confused me was how he ended the poem with this line : "It is what to make of a diminished thing". I found this extremely odd and re-read the poem, this time seeing a much more different side. Frost is relating his own depression despite being in the midst of such happiness as he knows it will only go away. For this reason he sees no reason for joy.
 * 49**. **The Oven Bird** - Robert Frost


 * 50. The line-gang** - Robert Frost

He describes the line-gang, which I took to be the construction workers/ woodmen who have been ruthlessly cutting trees to make way for urbanization. He uses harsh language to denounce these workers as savage, for example his line : "they throw a forest down less cut than broken." This line not only shows how much forest they cut, but it also shows how crude their work is, not bothering to cut but rather just breaking them.


 * 51. Fire and Ice** - Robert Frost

Robert Frost displays his lack of preference in choice of how the world would end and how he himself would meet his demise. He uses Fire and Ice as examples, two opposing extremes, and states in the poem that either would be a great way to die. I took this to me that for Frost, either end of the spectrum (and supposedly everything in between) would be fine, and that it doesn't really matter to him.


 * 52. To E.T.** - Robert Frost

I will be completely honest; the reason I choose to read this poem was because of the rather interesting title. However it would seem that the poem had no relation to what I was thinking I was going to read. Frost talks about being extremely lonely, and feeling saddened, depressed even. What I realized was different about this poem is that it is not like his usual poems that were always filled with colorful metaphors, but instead displayed meaning at the surface. I did some further research and found out that E.T. is Edward Thomas, a friend of Frost's who lost his life during WWII.

The poet slowly ventures deeper and deeper into this supposed haunted house. At the beginning things seem to be alright, as he describes how many trees and fruits are growing. However as he moves further into the house, the conditions of the surroundings worsen (bats flying around for example) and suspense is gradually built up. Finally he describes what he makes as a dead couple, and the tone changes to sad as the poet feels sympathy for them.
 * 53. Ghost House** - Robert Frost

A very abstract poem in my opinion. he talks about love and the earth, and here an interesting note is that he capitalizes the former yet not the latter. He later talks of how the earth and love did not need walls to shut out the fear, and then suddenly jumps into talk of men and thoughts, something I took to be another representation of men
 * 54. Bond and Free -** Robert Frost

Not about the famous hollywood actress as I had thought, but rather the wife of Shakespeare. The poem is written in Shakespeare's favorite sonnet form, and the strong imagery about the bed gives off erotic implications and should be interpreted in such sexual sense.
 * 55. Anne Hathaway - Carol Ann Duffy**

Not a romantic poem as the title seemed to suggest, but rather about the relationship between a mother and daughter. This poem proved rather confusing as it jumps back and forth between the present and the past, but always used present tense.
 * 56. Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy**

About a parent giving reassurance to a grown-up child that his/her childhood was very good. However their rather weak assurances seem to imply that there is something they are hiding. The child has some bad memories but the parents seem to have evidence to prove otherwise.
 * 57. We Remember Your Childhood Well - Carol Ann Duffy**

Written in first person from the perspective of a thief. The thief recounts the many thefts he had done, and some people who were involved such as a policeman or a social worker. Duffy seems to write sympathetically, as if trying to understand the actions of this thief.
 * 58. Stealing - Carol Ann Duffy**

A very odd poem as it ridicules a teacher as opposed to some corruption or wickedness in society like one would expect such satire to be directed at. perhaps the poet wishes that we would see her perspective in this matter and take the same view.
 * 59. Head Of English - Carol Ann Duffy**

This poem seems to be about a real person, and upon research I've found that it is actually Carol Ann Duffy's teacher. From reading this poem I've gotten the impression that it is about the rite of passage, about Carol's big transition from being just a child to being an adult.
 * 60. In Mrs. Tilscher's Class - Carol Ann Duffy**

This poem is written in the first person. The speaker appears to be the poet, addressing her lover as "you". However as it doesn't give any exact details (gender), I think is actually an universal poem for any lovers, about the love between two people.
 * 61. Valentine - Carol Ann Duffy**

I interpreted this poem to be about the waves that constantly smash upon the cliffs near the ocean, and when they come in contact with the rocks, they "break".He also describes the ships and the fishermen who live near this area.
 * 62. Break! Break! Break! - Lord Tennyson**

He describes the creature from ancient mythologies, the Kraken. he not only describes the physical features of the Kraken (shadowy sides), but also talks of it's living environment, such as the huge sponges of millennial growth and height that are above the Kraken.
 * 63. The Kraken - Lord Tennyson**

The poet uses extremely beautiful and metaphorical language to describe an eagle and all it's glory. One example is the final line: "and like a thunderbolt he falls" where he compares the speed with which an eagle flies to the light speed of a thunderbolt. 5 December 2011 64/45-75
 * 64. The Eagle - Lord Tennyson**

This poem mainly deals with the mysteriousness of God. Each stanza explains to the reader an attribute God holds - he is graceful, merciful etc. However it seems like in the last two stanzas the speaker talks about his own experience with god as not so great, in the sense that he has experienced a shaken in his own faith.
 * 65. God Moves in A Mysterious Way - William Cowper**

It seems that to the speaker of this poem, it is not ambition and accomplishment that defines a person's life, and rather it is love and idleness that mark a human. His unique view is interesting to me, as it goes in direct contrast of what my parents believe in.
 * 66. An Immortality - Erza Pound**

A rather whimsical poem, the tone of which is helped by a noticeable rhyme scheme. The message seems that you should be different from everyone else, and in that find joy.
 * 67. The Crazy Woman - Gwendolyn Brooks**

The poem is a metaphor to the poet’s personal utopia, and he makes many references to the flaws he finds in reality. The overall mood of the poem is not anger at the world, but rather is calm and somber.
 * 66. Where the sidewalk ends - Shel Silverstein**


 * 67. Machines - Michael Donaghy**

The poem begins on an intellectually stimulating note, comparing a composition for the harpischord to a motorcycle. He makes that point that both of them have lost an essential grace by being exactly what they are supposed to be, which is rather puzzling. He ends with an equally puzzling line, "only by moving can balance/Only by balancing move." Very poetic, to be sure, but essentially meaningless and perfectly reflective of the absurdity of his poem subject.

Poet expresses great lover for his hands, which have helped him in countless ways over the years. He compares them with things like “hungry men” and “birds”, and stresses the lack of consideration he had given them in the past. This perhaps means that he had done something irreversible to his hands.
 * 68. Ode to my hands - Tim Seibles**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The poet expresses a great deal of trust for everything around him, yet rather inronically he odesn’t trust himself as he knows of the liar within himself
 * 69. I Trust - Conan Edogawa**

This is the story of a “Youngman” who died feeling like he went down fighting. The irony of the poem comes in that he was actually a man filled with sin.
 * 70. Let Me Die a Youngman's Death - Roger Mcgough**

The poem centers on the idea of an extremely long journey, and both the rhythm and rhyme seem to add to this theme by contributing a monotonous, repetitive feel. It is a rather dark poem.
 * 71. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost**

This poem has a very aggressive tone and creates a really chaotic mess of things. However the poet’s last lines seem to place him under his very own complaints, which make the poem almost seem humorous.
 * 72. Messy Room - Shel Silverstein**

A man, under instruction from his mother and aunt, attempts to make potato soup. However apparently due to everyday constraints, he continues to fail. The long, run on phrases of the poems seem to reflect the annoyed feeling he has.
 * 73. Potato Soup - Daniel Nyikos**

As stated in the title, this poem is an ode to solitude. The speaker describes the life of a man who lives alone as peaceful and beautiful from a third person perspective; however his regret of this solitude is reflected from the last stanza
 * 74. Ode on Solitude - Alexander Pope**

Every stanza of the poem consists of a single rhyming couplet. It praises the trees for being close to nature, and having the time to pray to god. In the speaker’s eyes, only nature is true beauty.
 * 75. Trees - Joyce Kilmer**

The poem involves role reversal. The bear becomes the ranger, and begins its own fire without warnings to ignorant campers. There is the air of foreshadow to this, as if stating that nature itself will get revenge
 * 76. Flames - Billy Collins**

The speaker of the poem sends a rose to a woman in order to pass on to her things for her own welfare. The rose persuades the woman to not hide from the light, meaning that the woman is likely shy. The rose also tells the woman that her beauty and youth are but temporary things.
 * 77. Go, lovely Rose - Edmund Waller**

The speaker is in rejection of human society in the sense that he wishes to be alone. He uses phrases such as “wandering thoughts” to support such a feeling. It is also evident that he had recently retired.
 * 78. Retirement - Anne Bronte**

The speaker brings imagery into describing the beautiful morning. He writes a lot in his poem, but in reality what he says is rather repetitive, and really he only makes one point.
 * 79. The Morning-Watch - Henry Vaughan**

The speaker describes two men, and is faced with the decision to pick one. The stanzas mirror each other completely, such as in rhyme and in dashes. This structural similarity highlights the equal status of the two men, and the difficulty the speaker has in choosing.
 * 80. Dilemma - Anthony Hecht**

An extremely simplistic poem stating that the best birthday is one that is spent alone outside in the wilds. No significant uses of metaphor or simile, which is in line with the simple nature of the poem.
 * 81. A Birthday Poem - Ted Kooser**

Mother nature is described as an all-loving, all-powerful force that cares upon anything in the world. The poem personifies Nature as a real mother, caring for creatures of the world, but at the same time ruling over them with infinite power.
 * 82. Nature, the Gentlest Mother - Emily Dickinson**

The poems name is misleading, as behind it is not a happy poem, but rather one related to domestic violence and also death. This poem attempts to solve the mystery behind these “smiles”.
 * 83. A Smile to Remember - Charles Bukowski**

The poem is, much like its title states – simple. There is no rhythm, there is no rhyme scheme, and there are a lot of enjambments. It talks about enjoying the small things in life.
 * 84. I Taught Myself to Live Simply - Anna Akhmatova**

A comfortable poem focused on everyday things needed in life. The poet uses enjambment to add mild surprise at every line.
 * 85. Shimmer - James Schuyler**

The speaker coincidently meets a woman who is similar to her in everyway except that the old woman had never experienced love. The speaker continually compares herself to the old woman in order to emphasize love’s power in changing a person in a good way.
 * 86. The Old Maid - Sarah Teasdale**

This poem is on the topic of space and substance. It contains several instances of imagery, “airness of a spider’s we” the “Menger sponge”. There is also frequent use of enjambment and other punctuation to highlight the tone of awe and reverence for diversity of nature.
 * 87. The Mengel Sponge - Stephen Edgar**

The mask of an evil demon is the central topic of the poem. The poem is interesting in that it contains not only the common, expected hatred against the mask, but also sympathy for the mask and it’s attempt to be evil.
 * 88. The Mask of Evil - Bertolt Brecht**

The speaker recalls when he would often sit in a walnut tree. He refers to his maturation from childhood as some sort of magic, and the ABAB rhyme scheme seems to add to his thankfulness for it’s intervention
 * 89. In the High Leaves of a Walnut - Laurence Binyon**

A poem about the tyrannical presence a man has over a woman. The poem seems to touch upon the male-dominated society which suppresses women and prevents them from doing what they want to do.
 * 90. Remembrance - Maya Angelou**

A poem that speaks of breaking away from one’s restrictions and darkness to follow one’s goal or dream. The short lines and verses contribute to an idea of fleeting time, and subsequently make the poems key idea seem all the more important
 * 91. As I Grew Older - Langston Hughes**

This poem explains the reason why things appear the way they do, and takes a satirical, humorous perspective The message of this poem is clear: things appear the way they do simply because they operate best in said way.
 * 92. Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face - Jack Prelutsky**

Poet is in the shower, and begins to wonder about death at seas in all kinds of mysterious lands. After his little journey of the brain, the poet returns to reality. Overall a really interesting poem.
 * 93. I Wonder What It Feels Like to be Drowned? - Robert Graves**

The poem is about an old woman playing the piano; however she no longer has her old ability. This poem can be described as bittersweet, the woman is trying to relive her past, but her frailness and hesitancy prevent her from doing so.
 * 94. Piano - Dan Howell**

The speaker considers angels to be neglected creatures, which are occasionally beautiful. He/she alternates between the two views, one of the angels’ neglected situation, the other of their occasional yet wholesome beauty.
 * 95. Angels - Russell Edson**

The poem relives a battle of World War I or II, when bombs were dropped on civilians. There is reference to the motif of a passage of time, and that of renewal, as seen in the last stanza.
 * 96. Bombardment - Richard Aldington**

The poem itself seems to be centered around the theme of sinners, and it describes a scene where a man is standing near a wall from which sinners will emerge at the right time.
 * 97. The Curse - John Berryman**

A poem about a child who fell in love with a man of fiction. The speaker uses parentheses to convey their secret, guilty thoughts, such as "(I prayed no-one would hear)". In the end of the poem, she marries a man that is much like the man in the book, and this goes to show that love is something that transcends time and age.
 * 98. First Love - Jan Owen**

This poem speaks of cats as some omniscient, all knowing beings that “will know” if one does something. The interesting point of view the poem takes makes it very interesting and enigmatic.
 * 99. The Cats Will Know - Cesare Pavese**

This poem possesses a subtle, yet ominous tone. It is a good show of the poet’s ability to create fear and other emotions in her readers through writing.
 * 100. Night Poem - Margaret Atwood**

Rather long description of a voice the speaker suddenly remembers. He states that the voice is wonderful and yet heartbreaking, and does so through a large quantity of comparison.
 * 101. The Voice - Matthew Arnold**

The poem states this: those who have lived are those who experience love and suffering. The poem has a great deal of metaphor and simile, for example “life is a carnival”, and "flames of amber and of amethyst".
 * 102. Life - Sarojini Naidu**

The poem avoids its self-proclaimed subject, that of "passing over" or not recognizing one's virtues, and instead explains in many ways what passing over is. There is some imagery of "painted fish", which doesn’t seem to take any significance.
 * 103. Passing Over Your Virtues - Vicki Hearne**

The speaker describes being a queen being carried in a caravan. The queen has many wonderful possessions and engages in activities in the forest. There are many parenthetical phrases in the poem.
 * 104. Balance, onslaught - Khadijah Queen**

The poem splits into two segments; the first speaks of a valiant knight embarking upon an important quest. The second speaks of a dead horse that had long since been forgotten. These two combine to form a rather cruel twist.
 * 105. Fast Rode the Knight - Stephen Crane**

Seems as if the poet has been hurt by a lover (as the title may suggest), and she conveys this through repetition of the idea of being lost, bewildered.
 * 106. I Am Not Yours - Sara Teasdale**

The poem focuses on the relationship between a street-boy's clothes and his fantasies. It would seem that the clothes the boy hides behind "incubate" his hopes and dreams, while protecting and differentiating him from others.
 * 107. The Owls - David Ferry**

The poem centers on the conversation of two people, one with knowledge of love and the other without. One asks the other questions about love, and the other responds in both gushing enthusiasm as well as sadness.
 * 108. What Is Love? - Ernest Dowson**