Twas dusk, I remember, on that early December
When the world turned to ash, and left naught but an ember
The sky burned in crimson
And our eyes turned to light
Away from the poison
Away from the night
How humorous and sad this fate
That only at the end abate
The countless storms of mankind’s greed
Of daggers, shields, and of spears
All of which make mankind bleed
Until a silence fills its ears
But beautiful indeed the end
Where thy enemy is thy friend
In a language without restriction
Spoken with audacity
In some sweet, seraphic diction
Where the tongue is wandering free.
My eyes have witnessed such a day
For though my friends did sit and pray
I walked across the end of life
And saw it at its peak
And though you’d think there would be strife
No strife did mankind seek.
With gas-tank full of eager oil
I freed myself from fear’s great toil
I felt the key within my hand
The engine roared and sang with mirth
I felt my spirit’s swift demand
And embraced my quick rebirth
The windows rolled into their sheath
The wind, so pleasant, seemed to wreathe
About my happy, careless nature
An endless, hallow breeze.
And so I left my nomenclature
Beside my old disease.
A splendid name did I then don
A name of dauntlessness and brawn
It was the name of everything
Spelled only by a smile
A name that only angels sing
That no one could defile.
I carried my omniscient name
Without the slightest bit of shame
And drove without a shackle bound
Stopping for a passerby
Who sat, quite haggard on the ground
And asked him how he’d like to die.
To this said question, he returned
A message which my fate had earned:
“The world, it seems, is coming down
And we’ll go with the end
But if in fire we’re to drown
I’d rather with a friend.”
He must’ve known my name it seemed
For then his smile, restless, beamed
Akin to mine, for mine had flared
And so he joined me on my travel
And so the final day was shared
As we watched the world unravel.
Twas dusk, I remember, on that early December
When the world turned to ash and left naught but an ember
I found a man quite foreign to me
Another day he’d not be friend
But I befriended fearlessly
Because it was the end.
And I said to my final friend:
"How beautiful indeed the end."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Journal Response #5
Identify and discuss Dr.Seuss' poetic style after perusing a few of his works:
Dr.Seuss' wonderfully inane children's books--arguably for adults as well--are renowned classics of modern day literature and linger in the mind of many as the first bits of poetry that their eyes stumbled upon in youth. But despite their mirthful visage, some poets and critics anathematize Dr.Seuss books as corruptive literature that plagues the mind of a child with erroneous communication skills. This is arguable at best, but if a reader is the logical and particularly pedantic type, they are likely to share in the anger of the critics. Why? For one reason, many Dr.Seuss Books employ improper sentence formations like some of the stanzas in "Fox in Sox,":
Here is lots of
new blue goo now.
Gooey. Gooey.
Blue goo. New goo.
Gluey. Gluey.
But perhaps what is more aggravating to the more academically meticulous readers is the aberrant meters that flow off the tongue with great uniqueness but are wont to vex the mind with confusion. This is considerably noticeable in the famed book "Horton Hears a Who!" in which a curious white elephant strives to rescue a civilization thriving on a bit of dust from imminent annihilation. To use an example from the book:
u / u u / u u / / / u /
1 So Horton stopped splashing. He looked toward the sound.
u / u u / u u / u u /
2 "That's funny," thought Horton. "There's no one around."
u u / u u / u u / u u /
3 Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
u u / u u / u u / u u /
4 As if some tiny person were calling for help
u / u u / u u u / u u
5 "I'll help you," said Horton. "But who are you? Where?"
u / u u / u u / u u /
6 He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there
u u / u u / u u / u u /
7 But a small speck of dust blowing past through the air.
This stanza, written on page 6 of the book, seems thoroughly confusing and improper at first, and by general poetic code it is. However, the meter of Anapests seem prevalent throughout the stanza, albeit there are many catalectic deviations. And thus one would deem the stanza Catalectic Anapestic Tetrameter... or at least one would do so simply if it were not for the incredibly motley first line. The first line is not only composed of six stresses, making it hexameter, but it is also catalectic and boasts the random intervention of a spondee toward the end. This is rather confusing, and the name allotted to such a line in a poem is unknown. Perhaps Dr.Seuss rendered the poem Catalectic Anapestic Tetrameter because it can be abbreviated as C.A.T. but the first line is solely inane.
Aside from aberrant meter, Dr.Seuss employs a great many of the other devices in poetry fantastically. His rhyme scheme is rudimentary yet impeccably consistent and his use of white space correlates with the depiction of a story. To exhibit both, but more so the latter, here is an stanza excerpted from "Horton Hears a Who!":
1 And at 6:56 the next morning he did it. A
2 It sure was a terrible place that he hid it. A
3 He let that small clover drop somewhere inside B
4 Of a great patch of clovers a hundred miles wide! B
5 "Find THAT!" sneered the bird. "But I think you will fail." C
6 And he left D
7 With a flip E
8 Of his black-bottomed tail. C
In lines 6 & 7, the purposeful use of white space is distinguishable from the rest of the text. Whether Dr. Seuss did this to emphasize the actions of the bird separately, or whether it was merely done out of some inexplicable aesthetic favor I shall not arbitrate. Nonetheless it is there.
Personally, I find the myriad of books that Dr.Seuss has produced to be vastly enjoyable. And being a full-blooded advocate for imaginative inanity, it's no wonder.
Dr.Seuss' wonderfully inane children's books--arguably for adults as well--are renowned classics of modern day literature and linger in the mind of many as the first bits of poetry that their eyes stumbled upon in youth. But despite their mirthful visage, some poets and critics anathematize Dr.Seuss books as corruptive literature that plagues the mind of a child with erroneous communication skills. This is arguable at best, but if a reader is the logical and particularly pedantic type, they are likely to share in the anger of the critics. Why? For one reason, many Dr.Seuss Books employ improper sentence formations like some of the stanzas in "Fox in Sox,":
Here is lots of
new blue goo now.
Gooey. Gooey.
Blue goo. New goo.
Gluey. Gluey.
But perhaps what is more aggravating to the more academically meticulous readers is the aberrant meters that flow off the tongue with great uniqueness but are wont to vex the mind with confusion. This is considerably noticeable in the famed book "Horton Hears a Who!" in which a curious white elephant strives to rescue a civilization thriving on a bit of dust from imminent annihilation. To use an example from the book:
u / u u / u u / / / u /
1 So Horton stopped splashing. He looked toward the sound.
u / u u / u u / u u /
2 "That's funny," thought Horton. "There's no one around."
u u / u u / u u / u u /
3 Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
u u / u u / u u / u u /
4 As if some tiny person were calling for help
u / u u / u u u / u u
5 "I'll help you," said Horton. "But who are you? Where?"
u / u u / u u / u u /
6 He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there
u u / u u / u u / u u /
7 But a small speck of dust blowing past through the air.
This stanza, written on page 6 of the book, seems thoroughly confusing and improper at first, and by general poetic code it is. However, the meter of Anapests seem prevalent throughout the stanza, albeit there are many catalectic deviations. And thus one would deem the stanza Catalectic Anapestic Tetrameter... or at least one would do so simply if it were not for the incredibly motley first line. The first line is not only composed of six stresses, making it hexameter, but it is also catalectic and boasts the random intervention of a spondee toward the end. This is rather confusing, and the name allotted to such a line in a poem is unknown. Perhaps Dr.Seuss rendered the poem Catalectic Anapestic Tetrameter because it can be abbreviated as C.A.T. but the first line is solely inane.
Aside from aberrant meter, Dr.Seuss employs a great many of the other devices in poetry fantastically. His rhyme scheme is rudimentary yet impeccably consistent and his use of white space correlates with the depiction of a story. To exhibit both, but more so the latter, here is an stanza excerpted from "Horton Hears a Who!":
1 And at 6:56 the next morning he did it. A
2 It sure was a terrible place that he hid it. A
3 He let that small clover drop somewhere inside B
4 Of a great patch of clovers a hundred miles wide! B
5 "Find THAT!" sneered the bird. "But I think you will fail." C
6 And he left D
7 With a flip E
8 Of his black-bottomed tail. C
In lines 6 & 7, the purposeful use of white space is distinguishable from the rest of the text. Whether Dr. Seuss did this to emphasize the actions of the bird separately, or whether it was merely done out of some inexplicable aesthetic favor I shall not arbitrate. Nonetheless it is there.
Personally, I find the myriad of books that Dr.Seuss has produced to be vastly enjoyable. And being a full-blooded advocate for imaginative inanity, it's no wonder.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Haiku Trio on Nature
Life upon the grave
Growing over even death
Harken to its call
Vestiges remain
Yet even they grow scarce
Soon we'll know but dreams
Primordial world
Speaks with clever tongues
Listeners are we
Growing over even death
Harken to its call
Vestiges remain
Yet even they grow scarce
Soon we'll know but dreams
Primordial world
Speaks with clever tongues
Listeners are we
Monday, May 10, 2010
Death
And in the darkness lingered death
With foul, fetid, claiming breath
It wrapped around me like a pall
And nothing more do I recall
Not joys of life
Nor pangs of strife
Before that final fated fall.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Journal Response #4
Choose a poet and a poem of his or hers to explicate:
1. Name and Credentials: I chose the famed Edgar Allan Poe, not merely because of his incredible popularity but because of what I consider to be an unparalleled prowess with poetry which he flourishes in nearly all of his poems. He was abhorred by his peers whilst he was alive for inexplicable reasons, although some speculate it was jealousy. But I, alongside countless others, now revere him and his many works.
2. Poem
Alone
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
3. Meaning; why you chose it: In all cases of explication, meaning is arbitrary. I am bold enough to claim that I believe the the poem describes an event which Poe perceived literally; I say this because of Poe's notorious feelings of solemnity and seriousness in the most fantastical of depictions, such as The Raven. From what history can tell of Edgar Allan Poe, he was a very enigmatic and bizarre person whose life was twisted by many misfortunes. In the work entitled "Alone," Poe seems to speak about his deviant nature and its childhood-based source. In the first line he claims that he had "not seen what others saw," and in lines 13-22 he continues on to elaborate on what his divergent view of the world was comprised of. From fountains to the sun to the clouds in the sky, Poe seems to say that he beheld demons in everything he saw and thus his vision of the realm around him differed from everyone he met or knew. For this reason he was alone, figuratively speaking. That which he loved others could not understand or envisage, and so he loved alone--line 8 voices this.
4. What do you like/dislike about this poem? Why?: It is difficult for me to dislike much of Poe's work. He always manages to keep a saccharine flow in his poems, often implements a wonderfully adept rhyme scheme, and seldom fails to enthrall my imagination with his depictions, be they figurative or literal. Alone sets the classical melancholy mood of Poe's writing and abides by all that I revere him for. Rest well you wonderful mad-man.
1. Name and Credentials: I chose the famed Edgar Allan Poe, not merely because of his incredible popularity but because of what I consider to be an unparalleled prowess with poetry which he flourishes in nearly all of his poems. He was abhorred by his peers whilst he was alive for inexplicable reasons, although some speculate it was jealousy. But I, alongside countless others, now revere him and his many works.
2. Poem
Alone
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
3. Meaning; why you chose it: In all cases of explication, meaning is arbitrary. I am bold enough to claim that I believe the the poem describes an event which Poe perceived literally; I say this because of Poe's notorious feelings of solemnity and seriousness in the most fantastical of depictions, such as The Raven. From what history can tell of Edgar Allan Poe, he was a very enigmatic and bizarre person whose life was twisted by many misfortunes. In the work entitled "Alone," Poe seems to speak about his deviant nature and its childhood-based source. In the first line he claims that he had "not seen what others saw," and in lines 13-22 he continues on to elaborate on what his divergent view of the world was comprised of. From fountains to the sun to the clouds in the sky, Poe seems to say that he beheld demons in everything he saw and thus his vision of the realm around him differed from everyone he met or knew. For this reason he was alone, figuratively speaking. That which he loved others could not understand or envisage, and so he loved alone--line 8 voices this.
4. What do you like/dislike about this poem? Why?: It is difficult for me to dislike much of Poe's work. He always manages to keep a saccharine flow in his poems, often implements a wonderfully adept rhyme scheme, and seldom fails to enthrall my imagination with his depictions, be they figurative or literal. Alone sets the classical melancholy mood of Poe's writing and abides by all that I revere him for. Rest well you wonderful mad-man.
Journal Response #3
Explain how [the following poems] represent one or more of the ways that the sonnet evolved.
The Canzoniere (translation irrelevant)
Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono A
di quei sospiri ond'io nudriva 'l core B
in sul mio primo giovenile errore B
quand'era in parte altr'uom da quel ch'i' sono, A
del vario stile in ch'io piango et ragiono A
fra le vane speranze e 'l van dolore, B
ove sia chi per prova intenda amore, B
spero trovar pietà, nonché perdono. A
Ma ben veggio or sí come al popol tutto A
favola fui gran tempo, onde sovente B
di me mesdesmo meco mi vergogno; A
et del mio vaneggiar vergogna è 'l frutto, A
e 'l pentersi, e 'l conoscer chiaramente B
che quanto piace al mondo è breve sogno. A
Romeo and Juliet
Let me not to the marriage of true minds A
Admit impediments, love is not love B
Which alters when it alteration finds, A
Or bends with the remover to remove. B
O no, it is an ever fixéd mark C
That looks on tempests and is never shaken D
It is the star to every wand'ring bark, C
Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken. D
Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks E
Within his bending sickle's compass come, F
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, E
But bears it out even to the edge of doom: F
If this be error and upon me proved, G
I never writ, nor no man ever loved. G
The evolution of the sonnet is nothing directly biological, nor logical in most senses for that matter, but rather it is predominantly fortuitous.
Thomas Wyatt--an ancestor of mine--is said to have given birth to the English sonnet, which was forged, of course, from his amorous feelings for a woman he couldn't have (the English king's queen). But he wasn't the vanguard of sonnets in their entirety. It is a renowned Italian 'sonneteer' by the name of Francesco Petrarch who claims that title.
The Petrarchan Sonnet is perhaps the most recognized form of sonnet beside the Shakespearean Sonnet form. The first poem displayed, taken from The Canzoniere, was written by Petrarch and contains the distinguishable strict rhyme scheme of ABBA, which is Petrachan Sonnet form at its finest.
The Shakespearean Sonnet, the most famed of all English sonnet forms, was written most commonly by William Shakespeare--although other poets and playwrites conjured up similar sonnets alongside or before Shakespeare's--in the 16th century, and consists of the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The final two lines of Shakespeare's sonnets served as his signature, for they always contained identical rhyme schemes and were set apart from the main body of the poem in some fashion.
The divergence in the two most acclaimed sonnet form types is distinct, but both are incredibly rife with romanticism. Seldom do sonnets not pertain to love or death, and those that do not are often frowned upon.
The Canzoniere (translation irrelevant)
Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono A
di quei sospiri ond'io nudriva 'l core B
in sul mio primo giovenile errore B
quand'era in parte altr'uom da quel ch'i' sono, A
del vario stile in ch'io piango et ragiono A
fra le vane speranze e 'l van dolore, B
ove sia chi per prova intenda amore, B
spero trovar pietà, nonché perdono. A
Ma ben veggio or sí come al popol tutto A
favola fui gran tempo, onde sovente B
di me mesdesmo meco mi vergogno; A
et del mio vaneggiar vergogna è 'l frutto, A
e 'l pentersi, e 'l conoscer chiaramente B
che quanto piace al mondo è breve sogno. A
Romeo and Juliet
Let me not to the marriage of true minds A
Admit impediments, love is not love B
Which alters when it alteration finds, A
Or bends with the remover to remove. B
O no, it is an ever fixéd mark C
That looks on tempests and is never shaken D
It is the star to every wand'ring bark, C
Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken. D
Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks E
Within his bending sickle's compass come, F
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, E
But bears it out even to the edge of doom: F
If this be error and upon me proved, G
I never writ, nor no man ever loved. G
The evolution of the sonnet is nothing directly biological, nor logical in most senses for that matter, but rather it is predominantly fortuitous.
Thomas Wyatt--an ancestor of mine--is said to have given birth to the English sonnet, which was forged, of course, from his amorous feelings for a woman he couldn't have (the English king's queen). But he wasn't the vanguard of sonnets in their entirety. It is a renowned Italian 'sonneteer' by the name of Francesco Petrarch who claims that title.
The Petrarchan Sonnet is perhaps the most recognized form of sonnet beside the Shakespearean Sonnet form. The first poem displayed, taken from The Canzoniere, was written by Petrarch and contains the distinguishable strict rhyme scheme of ABBA, which is Petrachan Sonnet form at its finest.
The Shakespearean Sonnet, the most famed of all English sonnet forms, was written most commonly by William Shakespeare--although other poets and playwrites conjured up similar sonnets alongside or before Shakespeare's--in the 16th century, and consists of the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The final two lines of Shakespeare's sonnets served as his signature, for they always contained identical rhyme schemes and were set apart from the main body of the poem in some fashion.
The divergence in the two most acclaimed sonnet form types is distinct, but both are incredibly rife with romanticism. Seldom do sonnets not pertain to love or death, and those that do not are often frowned upon.
Journal Response #2
How does form (structure, rhythm, meter, line breaks) affect meaning in poetry? Provide specific examples and explain your reasoning.
This question is a curious one. Due to its curious nature I am unable to answer the question firstly, for I must explain my intrigue beforehand. The question asked implies that there is, in fact, a correlation between meaning and form. Albeit an axiom in some cases--E. E. Cummings' notorious form (notorious is used purposefully)--in the just of cases I don't believe form affects the sentiment that the poet is attempting to convey. With that being said, I do believe that how a poem is formed can have a significant effect on how a reader views the poem. For instance, E. E. Cummings' poem topics could be poignant and enthralling, but I still abhor the poems and wish to put them to flame every time my eyes unfortunately stumble upon one of them because their form is akin to this:
I love ca
ts becau
se they h
ave 4leg
s and st(a
re) at me
with eye
s
If you've stopped reading I hardly blame you, but bear with me a moment longer and I'll answer the question. Now I would find the question a great deal more logical if the word 'meaning' contained within the question was to be replaced with the word 'flow.' Thus the new question would read: "How does form (structure, rhythm, meter, line breaks) affect flow in poetry?"
A marvelous question, I'll answer it briskly. The human eyes are fickle things and are quick to judge something based on its appearance. A sentence that ends abruptly can be disconcerting but often leads one to search for the finishing part of the sentence. In a poem it is commonplace to find something of this sort:
/ u / u /
In the shadow hid A
u / u / u /
An unassuming squid. A
Although the sentence begins at the first line, it finishes with a period at the end of the second line. This does several things for a reader. It makes one sentence seem like two so as to augment the length of the poem by adding an implied pause and to set a less demanding standard for meter. Instead of hexameter--brought about if it was all one line--there is trimeter. The rhyme scheme, which is AA, is done in favor of sweetness of flow which can generally aid the reading of the poem depending on who reads it. Without the rhyme scheme:
In the shadow hides
An unassuming squid
This poem is identical in every facet to the previous one with the exception of the fourth word in the first line 'hides' which breaks the original rhyme scheme; some prefer the former, some the latter (former personally) Thus form has proved a fazing factor in the poem's flow.
*Note: As I was reading over what I had written I must concede to one fact... the tense of the poem is changed based on wording within the form; this can affect meaning.*
This question is a curious one. Due to its curious nature I am unable to answer the question firstly, for I must explain my intrigue beforehand. The question asked implies that there is, in fact, a correlation between meaning and form. Albeit an axiom in some cases--E. E. Cummings' notorious form (notorious is used purposefully)--in the just of cases I don't believe form affects the sentiment that the poet is attempting to convey. With that being said, I do believe that how a poem is formed can have a significant effect on how a reader views the poem. For instance, E. E. Cummings' poem topics could be poignant and enthralling, but I still abhor the poems and wish to put them to flame every time my eyes unfortunately stumble upon one of them because their form is akin to this:
I love ca
ts becau
se they h
ave 4leg
s and st(a
re) at me
with eye
s
If you've stopped reading I hardly blame you, but bear with me a moment longer and I'll answer the question. Now I would find the question a great deal more logical if the word 'meaning' contained within the question was to be replaced with the word 'flow.' Thus the new question would read: "How does form (structure, rhythm, meter, line breaks) affect flow in poetry?"
A marvelous question, I'll answer it briskly. The human eyes are fickle things and are quick to judge something based on its appearance. A sentence that ends abruptly can be disconcerting but often leads one to search for the finishing part of the sentence. In a poem it is commonplace to find something of this sort:
/ u / u /
In the shadow hid A
u / u / u /
An unassuming squid. A
Although the sentence begins at the first line, it finishes with a period at the end of the second line. This does several things for a reader. It makes one sentence seem like two so as to augment the length of the poem by adding an implied pause and to set a less demanding standard for meter. Instead of hexameter--brought about if it was all one line--there is trimeter. The rhyme scheme, which is AA, is done in favor of sweetness of flow which can generally aid the reading of the poem depending on who reads it. Without the rhyme scheme:
In the shadow hides
An unassuming squid
This poem is identical in every facet to the previous one with the exception of the fourth word in the first line 'hides' which breaks the original rhyme scheme; some prefer the former, some the latter (former personally) Thus form has proved a fazing factor in the poem's flow.
*Note: As I was reading over what I had written I must concede to one fact... the tense of the poem is changed based on wording within the form; this can affect meaning.*
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Go Forth My Noble King
Rise and go my noble king
Hasten to where angels sing
Upon the pallid eagle's wing
Beyond the doleful chapel's ring
Rise and go my noble king
Your next adventure lies in wait
A crusade for joy in place of hate
The storm of life doth now abate
So follow now your final fate
And to distant bliss now steal
Rise and go my noble king
Fly to fields so surreal
To eternal hills of teal
Where all mortal wounds will heal
Left behind just like the keel
That has been stranded on the shore
Rise and go my noble king
Forget thee now the clash of war
The bloodied clothing steel tore
The fallen soldiers on the floor
The everlasting strife of yore
The battle's unrelenting toll
Rise and go my noble king
Shut thy eyes tight and free thy soul
Break from this dirty, mundane hole
Take leave at last from your patrol
Fret not the flag upon the pole
For I shall raise our shining crest.
Rise and go my noble king
And I shall follow you to rest.
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