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.