In this barren frozen waste land
Nestled out of sight
Lives the gifts of natures wonders
In this land covered in snow and ice
Dressed in all his finery
The emperor penguin is standing tall
their little friendly neighbor the Adelie penguin
What a beautiful sight he makes
And what about the tern
That soars high above them
In this wasteland that mother nature
Chose to dress in white
And then there's the beauty of the leopard seal
That lives upon the ice
Hunting for his meal
In Antarctica's icy ocean blue
Or the wonder of mother nature
The blue whale that lives in the waters
Of this picturesque wonderland
At the bottom of the world hidden out of sight
- Darryn John Murphey
This is a beautiful poem full of imagery. Every stanza has a ABAC rhyme scheme which makes the poem easy to read and have a strong rhyth. The imagery in this poem is gorgeous. Murphey creates very vivid pictures of both the animals that inhabit the Antartic and the beauty of the continent itself. Finding a poem about Antarctica was one of the biggest challenges I faced, but I belive that Murphey's work fits in beautifully. My favorite lines are the last two :" Of this picturesque wonderland At the bottom of the world hidden out of sight". I think that these words portay the Antartic as a hidden, almost undiscovered, world.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Brazil
Music and color fill my eyes and ears
Rio in summer and hot peppers that bring tears.
Suntanned children in the street
With a soccer ball at their feet
Scents in the air of flowers and jungle
Amazonian boarders around me
Brazil the country astounds me.
- Unknown
What i really enjoy about this poem is the directness and simpleness. These rhyming couplets cover many aspects of the country Brazil. The most vivid picture I get is from Stanza 2 " Suntannned children in the street, with a soccer ball at their feet." This line relays a very classic image of a Brazilian street with children playing soccer on the cement. Despite how short this stanza is the picture in my head is very vivid because this unknown poet made reference to already well known images. One thing that intrigues me about this poem is how the last stanza does not follow the AA BB rhyme scheme, but rather has a first line that does not rhyme. This puzzels me, but also draws more attention to: "Scents in the air of flowers and jungle." Prehaps the poet found this point very important.
Rio in summer and hot peppers that bring tears.
Suntanned children in the street
With a soccer ball at their feet
Scents in the air of flowers and jungle
Amazonian boarders around me
Brazil the country astounds me.
- Unknown
What i really enjoy about this poem is the directness and simpleness. These rhyming couplets cover many aspects of the country Brazil. The most vivid picture I get is from Stanza 2 " Suntannned children in the street, with a soccer ball at their feet." This line relays a very classic image of a Brazilian street with children playing soccer on the cement. Despite how short this stanza is the picture in my head is very vivid because this unknown poet made reference to already well known images. One thing that intrigues me about this poem is how the last stanza does not follow the AA BB rhyme scheme, but rather has a first line that does not rhyme. This puzzels me, but also draws more attention to: "Scents in the air of flowers and jungle." Prehaps the poet found this point very important.
Excerpt from "Canada" by Munda
| Canada, oh Canada what hast thou done with me whenever I do close my eyes my heart is there with thee Your mountains and great forests of an infinity Sequoias stand majestically ancient serenity Golden fields of waving grain whisper a lullaby the sunset slowly fades away beyond your endless sky Mem'ries of the days gone by engraved into my soul return to you I will some day it's always been my goal |
I had to include one poem about Canada of course. I think that this poem creates many pictures and captures the variety of scenery we have in this huge country. Unfortunately, this poem was very long and I had to only include my favorite stanza's for the sake of my calander. Imagery is used very well in this poem creating great pictures of our forests, mountains, and praries.This poem has an ABCB rhyme scheme, but in addition to this both the 2nd and 4th line of every stanza has 6 syllables . This must have made the writing of this poem more of a challenge for "Munda", however the effort pays off as when read outloud this poem has beautiful flow and a great rhytm throughout all stanza's. I noticed that in the first line the poet made an allusion to our national anthem by saying: "Canada, oh Canada" of course drawing connection to O' Canada. I thought this was very smart and enjoyed how it connected the poem even more to the country.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Traveling is...
Traveling is how people,
earn and spend,
relax and learn,
discover and loose,
remember and forget,
aid and violate,
laugh and stress.
Traveling is how people,
experience.
This poem is clearly a list poem. I coupled contradicting ideas to express the large array of experiences one can have when traveling. I connected the two contradicting ideas with the word and to separate them and make their connection more clear. Also I believe the addition of the word and adds flow to the poem when being read outloud. One line that I would like to explain furthur is Line 6: "aid and violate". Travel is how people aid when they go to foriegn countires to help people in poverty. Travel is how people violate when they go to countries and expose national landmarks, or ruin natural places of beauty. This poem is full of contrast and I think it displays many aspects of traveling.
earn and spend,
relax and learn,
discover and loose,
remember and forget,
aid and violate,
laugh and stress.
Traveling is how people,
experience.
This poem is clearly a list poem. I coupled contradicting ideas to express the large array of experiences one can have when traveling. I connected the two contradicting ideas with the word and to separate them and make their connection more clear. Also I believe the addition of the word and adds flow to the poem when being read outloud. One line that I would like to explain furthur is Line 6: "aid and violate". Travel is how people aid when they go to foriegn countires to help people in poverty. Travel is how people violate when they go to countries and expose national landmarks, or ruin natural places of beauty. This poem is full of contrast and I think it displays many aspects of traveling.
Concrete poem for the Mountains
This is a concrete poem. The simple consice sentence forms a picture of the mountains causing the reader to remember cold days skiing, playing in the snow, sledding, and other such memories. I wanted to make the readers remember the relief of finally coming indoors, taking off your wet winter clothing, and sitting down to a cup of hot chocolate; such an amazing feeling that I'm sure we've all experienced. It is a hyperbole that the chapped lips can only be healed by a cup of coco, but when your that cold it certainly feels that way. This poem was the obvious choice for the month of December.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
P.O.R.T.U.G.A.L.
P eople here laugh
O r smile
R emembering
T he
U ncertan resolution of
G oals
A nd
L ife
Yes, I chose to do an acrostic poem. However, I tried to make it slightly more sophisticated than the elemantary school version by making the lines flow into each other. Some may be questioning how the content of this poem relates to the country of Portugal. I went to Portugal when I was much younger and what I remember most about the spot was the happy go lucky easy nature of the people there. They tend to live in the moment and appreciate what they have rather than focusing on the next best thing. My first memories are in portugal so it's a very special spot for me. I'm glad I can share this largley unknown fact about portegese culture through poetry.
O r smile
R emembering
T he
U ncertan resolution of
G oals
A nd
L ife
Yes, I chose to do an acrostic poem. However, I tried to make it slightly more sophisticated than the elemantary school version by making the lines flow into each other. Some may be questioning how the content of this poem relates to the country of Portugal. I went to Portugal when I was much younger and what I remember most about the spot was the happy go lucky easy nature of the people there. They tend to live in the moment and appreciate what they have rather than focusing on the next best thing. My first memories are in portugal so it's a very special spot for me. I'm glad I can share this largley unknown fact about portegese culture through poetry.
Limerick about Dublin
Shelly found a city called Dublin
a city meant to be fun'in
but not quite by fluke
She got covered in puke.
Typical story in Dublin
-Nancy-Anne McLaren
Lymricks are meant to be funny, silly, poems that don't have to 100% make sense. I think that this poem fits those categories. This poem alludes to the fact that people often get into the "drinking atmosphere" of Dublin, and in some cases may over expose themselves to alcohol. The rhyme scheme of all lymricks are AABBA. I chose to do a lymrick for this poem because they originated in Ireland and have a long history there.
Lymricks are meant to be funny, silly, poems that don't have to 100% make sense. I think that this poem fits those categories. This poem alludes to the fact that people often get into the "drinking atmosphere" of Dublin, and in some cases may over expose themselves to alcohol. The rhyme scheme of all lymricks are AABBA. I chose to do a lymrick for this poem because they originated in Ireland and have a long history there.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Excerpt from Kokomo by "The Beach Boys"
Aruba, Jamacia
oo I wanna take ya,
to Bermuda, Bahama
come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego
baby why don't we go
down to Kokomo
We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
that's where we wanna go
way down to Kokomo
- The Beach Boys
This excerpt from one of my favorite songs Kokomo is clearly a lyrical poem. Despite the fact that this excerpt , and the entire song, never actually describes what Kokomo looks like I still get a vivid image of a warm carribean island. I suppose this is because the song makes allusions to the other better known places of the carribean, causing the reader (or listener) to see this island paradise. This song makes me wonder what the person he is talking to is like. Also, there is quite an obvious rhyme scheme in this excerpt of the song of AABBCCCCCC. Again, this is one of my favorite songs, I find it very relaxing and the lyrics simple and happy.
oo I wanna take ya,
to Bermuda, Bahama
come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego
baby why don't we go
down to Kokomo
We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
that's where we wanna go
way down to Kokomo
- The Beach Boys
This excerpt from one of my favorite songs Kokomo is clearly a lyrical poem. Despite the fact that this excerpt , and the entire song, never actually describes what Kokomo looks like I still get a vivid image of a warm carribean island. I suppose this is because the song makes allusions to the other better known places of the carribean, causing the reader (or listener) to see this island paradise. This song makes me wonder what the person he is talking to is like. Also, there is quite an obvious rhyme scheme in this excerpt of the song of AABBCCCCCC. Again, this is one of my favorite songs, I find it very relaxing and the lyrics simple and happy.
My Interpretation of London
The air tastes old here,
not dirty,
but seeing and wise,
There is little space here,
not crowded,
but full, occupied
The people rush here,
not rudely,
but they have no time
I want to stay here,
not live,
but experience
-Nancy-Anne McLaren
This summer I took a vacation to London. I thought it was a beautiful city full of life and people. This poem reflects a few of my thoughts on the city; mainly it's large population, busy atmosphere, and old cultured feeling. I found the streets in London extremely narrow which gave the city character and depth. The buildings would almost hangover you and made you feel enclosed. I really enjoyed my time in London, however as I meantioned in the last stanza I would not want to live there. Being occupied, hurried, and old may give the city definition, but also have their downsides. To add flow to this poem I used the repitition of "here" at the end of every first line and the repition of "but" at the beginning of every second line. I also kept each stanza three lines and made each line of similar length.
not dirty,
but seeing and wise,
There is little space here,
not crowded,
but full, occupied
The people rush here,
not rudely,
but they have no time
I want to stay here,
not live,
but experience
-Nancy-Anne McLaren
This summer I took a vacation to London. I thought it was a beautiful city full of life and people. This poem reflects a few of my thoughts on the city; mainly it's large population, busy atmosphere, and old cultured feeling. I found the streets in London extremely narrow which gave the city character and depth. The buildings would almost hangover you and made you feel enclosed. I really enjoyed my time in London, however as I meantioned in the last stanza I would not want to live there. Being occupied, hurried, and old may give the city definition, but also have their downsides. To add flow to this poem I used the repitition of "here" at the end of every first line and the repition of "but" at the beginning of every second line. I also kept each stanza three lines and made each line of similar length.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Africa by Segun Rasaki
Africa, Beautiful yet unappreciated
Africa, Sahara to the Atlantic
Africa, From Zulu Land to Yoruba Land
Africa, From Nile River to River Niger
Africa, Rain and Sunshine round the year,
Africa, With her greenery lustre
Africa, With Coolness, Calmness, a Serenity unequal
Africa, Your hospitality and warmth taken for granted
Africa, Raped and left desolate, yet richly blessed
Africa, Your Children scattered all over the World crying for you
Africa, You are simply mine Africa.
- Segun Rasaki
There are several poetic devices used in this poem by Segun Rasaki. The most obvious is of couse repitition. The word "africa" is repeated at the beginning of every line creating a strong connection to the word. Also this repition made me look at the poem objectivly and remember that it is talking about a very real place. The second poetic device used is the constant personification of Africa. Something I found interesting is the capitaliztion of some words. There are examples in every line, but one of the most powerful is line 7:
Africa, With Coolness, Calmness, a Serenity unequal. The capitalization of Coolness, Calmness, and Serenity add power and meaning to those words.
I really enjoyed the contrasting and contradicting opinions and description of Africa in this poem. It reminded me of the complicated reality of this continent.
Africa, Sahara to the Atlantic
Africa, From Zulu Land to Yoruba Land
Africa, From Nile River to River Niger
Africa, Rain and Sunshine round the year,
Africa, With her greenery lustre
Africa, With Coolness, Calmness, a Serenity unequal
Africa, Your hospitality and warmth taken for granted
Africa, Raped and left desolate, yet richly blessed
Africa, Your Children scattered all over the World crying for you
Africa, You are simply mine Africa.
- Segun Rasaki
There are several poetic devices used in this poem by Segun Rasaki. The most obvious is of couse repitition. The word "africa" is repeated at the beginning of every line creating a strong connection to the word. Also this repition made me look at the poem objectivly and remember that it is talking about a very real place. The second poetic device used is the constant personification of Africa. Something I found interesting is the capitaliztion of some words. There are examples in every line, but one of the most powerful is line 7:
Africa, With Coolness, Calmness, a Serenity unequal. The capitalization of Coolness, Calmness, and Serenity add power and meaning to those words.
I really enjoyed the contrasting and contradicting opinions and description of Africa in this poem. It reminded me of the complicated reality of this continent.
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