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.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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.
Monday, October 25, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
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.
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.
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