The Hitchiker - Ken Reetz

 Standing alone aside the road,
arm stretched and thumb pointing to the sun,
you beg a ride.

Hopes of a relaxing and quiet rest,
free from small talk about sports or politics,
is what you long for.

Meanwhile: cacti are growing before your eyes
and your feet are burning irons
branding the pavement.

It used to be easier in the '60s.
Hitchhiking was more than transportation,
it was an experience.

On the Interstate
lonely and bored drivers sought out the hippie;
you could get a ride.

Forty years later
the hitchhiker is no longer the road guru,
few remember.

That was the past, forget it.
The good old hitchin’ days are gone, and so is
your hope of a quiet front seat.

The reality?
A long-haul driver will stop at your feet--
itching for miles of conversation

- Ken Reetz

 I think that this poem by Ken Reetz makes us really sympathize with the lonley hitchiker. Something I really liked about this poem is how it was directed to the reader putting them mentally become a hitchiker. Because it's directed at me it made me understand the painful longing this person must feel hoping that someone will pull over and give them a ride. There are many poetic devices used in this poem: Line 2&3 of Stanza 3 " your feet are burnign irons, branding the pavement", and the last line "itching for miles of conversation" both display metaphors being used. My favorite line in this poem are lines 2 and 3 in Stanza 4 : "Hitchiking was more than transportation, it was an experience." Despite the obvious dangerous of hitchiking I think that it would be a very interesting and spontanious way to travel. This poem draws attention to that point.

5 Verse Haiku for The Okanagan

Okanagan Lake
Always mirrors the calm sky
Here the clouds can swim

Sandy feet jump up
Why does the sand burn so hot?
Quick! run to water

Slim trees line the hills
Small birds chatter in the shade,
they love this place too

Clay mountains stand tall,
guarding the peace that lives here
with unique beauty

Every year I come
Forever remembering,
Okanagan Lake

This poem describes one of my favorite places: Okanagan Lake. I think the most abundant poetic device in this poem is imagery. Stanza's 1,2, and 4 all incorporate imagery. My main goal when writing this poem was to give the reader a vivid image of the Lake and surrounding scenery. Also there is personification in several places: Line 3 Stanza 1 "Here the clouds can swim", Line 2 Stanza 3 "Birds chatter", Lines 2&3 Stanza 4 " guarding the peace that lives here, with unique beauty". I wanted to use alot of personification in this poem to make the images really come alive. Also, as you can clearly see this is a haiku poem meaning it has 5 sylables in the first and third lines, and 7 in the second. Usually haiku poems are only one verse, however I felt that the Okanagan deserved more than that.