Poem on a Painting

I hear smacks and screams

I hear shouts of pain

I can hear the silent cries 

Deep in her throat

Everything in her mind is calm

At ease

Except the congested part 

Of memories from millenniums ago

I can feel the knot in her stomach

She feels twisted 

And alone

I know she can read my mind

That's why I have to keep my thoughts to myself 

And not share what I can see

Through those dark, shadowy eyes

Of that girl who haunts those who enter 

and torture

Blogpost: Poetry Response, "Forgotten Planet"

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter

Robert Bly

It is a cold and snowy night. The main street is deserted.
The only things moving are swirls of snow.
As I lift the mailbox door, I feel its cold iron.
There is a privacy I love in this snowy night.
Driving around, I will waste more time.

Reading this poem always make me think about winter. I can always imagine myself, walking home from my dance class on a snowy night with no one around me. I like this poem because there is such beautiful imagery shown. I've noticed this poem doesn't have a rhyme scheme. Every line is different and unique, and it's written in a way that the writer is telling a story. This poem also seems to be a memoir. I've also realized from reading other poetry, that shorter poems can be more meaningful and more powerful compared to longer ones. I feel like the writer can explain their message better in shorter poems.

I feel like this poem is kind of hard to interpret. Although, after reading it a couple of times, I'm receiving a message of freedom. I think the writer is telling us to be free, and be who we want to be. The line, "Driving around, I will waste more time" makes me think that the narrator doesn't care what people think of him, do what YOU want. ''

Going into something bigger, I think of the issue of peer pressure. I can see that the poem is not talking about this issue, but wanting to be who you want to be, and not caring what people think of you is related to peer pressure. The writer is talking about wasting time and desertion on the streets. I feel as though the writer is saying, snow is where you can do whatever you want to do. I also think that snow might be a symbol for another idea. Something in your heart that wants you to do what's right for you. The overall message the writer is displaying, is be yourself, no matter who's watching or who's talking.

Hurricane Song

I'm reading the book Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi for the second time. Hurricane Song is about a boy and his father who get stuck in Hurricane Katrina, and have to fight the hard times they go through, such as       maintaining a healthy relationship,  and fighting for their lives. They witness some horrible things between themselves and others as they live in the Superdome.

A part that's really sticking out to me, is when Miles' dad runs away. He says to Miles, "I need to go see what happened to the Jazz Club", and as he walks away, Miles is just staring. This shocked me so much, yet it seems so real to me. In a huge world crisis such as a deathly hurricane, I can see all the stress out on everybody, especially for one who is having problems with his son. Although it does make me upset. Miles and his father just had started to get along with each other and then as soon as it happens, the dad walks away. They had accomplished so much but at the same time they accomplished nothing.

When someone walks away like that, it usually means their not happy. Looking at his dad's personality, I can see why he would do something like that. He's the type that doesn't care. But it makes me wonder...does he care about his jazz life more than he does to his own son?