You fit into me ~ Margaret Atwood

The poem, "You fit into me" by Margaret Atwood is a short poem with more than one possible meaning. The poem is made up of two stanzas, each with two lines. The first stanza seems innocent to me, talking about a hook fitting into an eye. I know how to sew, as well as crochet, and I have had clothing which fastens with a hook and eye. So, when I read this first stanza I think of something related to completeness, things fit together, exactly where they are supposed to be. The second stanza then describes the somewhat ambiguous term of the hook and eye as the fisherman's hook, and an open eye. This completely flips the tenor of the poem for me, turning from contentment and togetherness to bitter resentment. This clever shift was done intentionally, to show what life should have felt like, and how it ended up.

Nothing Gold Can Stay ~ Robert Frost

This poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost is a poem about nature, at least on the surface. It is one stanza made up of eight lines. It has has an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme. The poem also has another pattern. The first line of each section of rhyme is always something somewhat based in fact or tangible, real. The second line of the rhyme is something far more philosophical, somehow relating to the previous line. The poem speaks about how at the beginning, everything was gold, leaves, and sunrise being the most evident. This poem could be speaking about how at the beginning of our lives, or any major event such as a new job, everything seems golden. But, as time passes, things begin to lose their sheen, anything good never lasts for long.

A Poison Tree ~ William Blake

This poem, "A Poison Tree" by William Blake makes use of extended metaphor. It consists of four four line stanzas. Each stanza signifies a change in time. The first stanza is the beginning. It introduces the ideas of anger and wrath and shows how we influence and control our anger. The second stanza more strongly introduces the metaphor of anger and plants. It shows this by "watering" and "sunning" the anger, just as a plant needs to grow. The third stanza shows the fruition of the previous stanzas effort.  The fourth and last stanza is about the success of the fruit that the tree bore. The whole poem is reminiscent of Snow White and the poisoned apple. It also shows very obviously the path of a woman seeking revenge, because lets face it, what man would go to all that trouble? And be that cunning? Definitely a woman's work.

Eating Poetry ~ Mark Strand

The poem "Eating Poetry" by Mark Strand is a poem that contains an extended shift in the form of a librarian. The poem consists of six stanzas that are each three lines. The first stanza is about eating poetry in the literal sense of eating the written word. The second stanza is about the librarians reaction to the speaker eating poetry. The third stanza is about the result of the speakers having eaten all the poetry. It also introduces dogs into the poem. The fourth stanza is about the dogs, and the librarians reaction to them. The fifth stanza is about the librarian, and her reaction to the speaker behaving as a dog. The sixth and final stanza shows the speaker as a complete dog. This poem by Mark Strand sis about extended metaphor and a prolonged shift in the form of a librarian. 

The Guitarist Tunes Up ~ Frances Cornford

This poem is one of those not so rare ones where the title exactly matches what happens in the poem. This poem consists of one stanza made up of eight lines. The poem is grouped into four sections, each consisting of two consecutive lines. These sections are not only divided by subject and content, but rhyme scheme as well. The first grouping is an introduction, and little more. It introduces us to the subject of the poem, before it, like all poetry, confuses us with metaphors, analogies, and other figurative language that I, for one, just don't truly care enough to try and follow. Though, I admit, this one is fairly easy. The second and third grouping tells us about how the guitarist tunes the instrument. The second grouping does this by telling the way the guitarist does not handle said guitar, which is good because I would be very angry with the musician did handle the instrument in such a disrespectful way. The third grouping tells us how the instrumentalist does handle the guitar, which shows the love he has for his guitar. The fourth and final grouping further describes the way he treats his guitar, going a little further into the realm of figurative language than I am entirely comfortable with. But that's what I get for taking a class that requires knowledge of poetry. My one insight to this poem is that this man and guitar are not on the stage in a rock concert, more like on the stage in a quiet local bar, not a club, but a small, quaint, and quiet little bar.

Lost Brother~ Stanley Moss

After reading this poem, I am willing to bet that the speaker is definitely an environmentalist. the poem seems to be written from the viewpoint of a tree, and is about said trees' brother. The speaker is proud of his brother, and the poem reads almost like a eulogy for the fallen tree. The speaker mentions the cause of death, followed by the age at which the tree died. The speaker goes on to talk about his relationship with the tree and how he felt when he learned it had been cut down. The middle of the poem is about the fallen tree's life.  It talks of how and where he lived, the trees that were his neighbors, and the animals that came  and went with the seasons. The last section differs from the traditional eulogy, speaking about the speaker, as opposed to the fallen tree. The speaker tells us that he will live as long as his brother, for his mothers sake, and that he will live a life that is full of joy and suffering. The last line is foreshadowing to his own death, as he says, "Sooner or later, some bag of wind will cut me down." This a reference to how the fate of his brother is the same fate that awaits him, being cut down by a human. I find it very amusing that humans are referred to as bags of wind,  hinting that the speaker believes that humans have no intelligence, that we have no mind and no humanity, because of our tree-cutting habits.

A Grey Haze Over The Rice Fields~ Jayanta Mahapatra

The poem, A Grey Haze Over The Rice Fields by Jayanta Mahapatra is broken into two stanzas. These two stanzas represent the past and the present. The first stanza represents both. The first half of the stanza seems to predominately be about the past. It speaks of things only in observation, as one might do every morning to something that is familiar, to make sure nothing has changed during the night. The second half of the first stanza is more reminiscent of the past. It speaks of kisses from a dead grandmother, of a vain mother of the speakers' childhood. The second stanza is more about the present, with hints at the future towards the end. The first word of the second stanza is "Today" which automatically clues the audience in to what time the speaker is in. It also talks about a shadow, a shadow that is only restrained by the present, though it still carries the speaker's childhood within its depths. It is not burdened by the past, as the speaker seems to be, evidenced by the speaker comparing the shadow to squirrels in mango trees, showing the the shadow is light and quiet, despite the past it carries.

Mr Fear ~ Lawrence Raab

Lawrence Raab's poem "Mr Fear" is a poem personifying fear, more specifically, nightmares. The poem is comprised of six four-line stanzas, each adding a slightly different part of Mr. Fear. The first stanza is a brief description of Mr. Fear. The author equates him with a shadow that has God-like orders, deciding where and when and what tragedy will strike. The second stanza we actually meet Mr. Fear, though we have no desire to. The speaker seems to make an analogy between Fear and Santa Claus, only instead of gifts, he brings nightmares. The third stanza further humanizes Fear by wondering how Mr. Fear feels about his job, if he is happy or sad to cause such despair. The fourth stanza is a plea to Mr. Fear from the speaker. He begs to only have a small nightmare, so small, in fact, that it falls through the whole in the speakers pocket. The speaker continues to plead in the fifth stanza, though this time is is for two things that brings him joy and safety. The last stanza is full of regret, and longing. The speaker only wants to return to a time before Mr. Fear, but he can't, no one can go back in time, as much as we all wish we could.

Wallflowers~ Donna Vorreyer

I actually really enjoyed this poem, which is an accomplishment for me because I hate poetry. I detest poetry. I gladly look forward to the day where I never have to look at it again. I don't like prose, which is a lot like poetry if you think about it. I don't even like English class (and all variences thereof) but, I digress.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the poem. It is written from the point of view of an author, trying to use uncommon words. He or she equates them with lovers, orphans, shy teenagers, and immigrants. At each turn the speaker expresses their desire to set the words that were seldom (if ever) used, free.
I think one of the reasons I love it is because of the overall tones of desperation and compassion that run throughout the poem. The speaker wants to use theese words, personifing them in such a way that allows them to, for a moment, speak the feeling of betrayel and abandonment for becoming obsolete. The author allows the words to be seperated from the rejection that every kid who is picked last for a team has felt.
So that's part of my rant about this poem, I highly recommend you reading it.

In Blackwater Woods~ Mary Oliver

The poem "In Blackwater Woods" by Mary Oliver is about the blackwater woods, and the things you find there- no surprise there. The poem is composed of  nine stanzas, with each stanza having four lines. the first stanza talks about the look of the trees, just the look of them. The second stanza is more about the smell of the trees, with the last line hinting at something more. The third stanza is about cattails, both how they themselves look and how they look against the backdrop of the water. The fourth stanza  is about the pond, though not much is said to describe it in this stanza. The fifth stanza is where a shift occurs, she goes from describing things in the Blackwater Woods to talking about why any of it matters to her. This stanza is about time and amount of knowledge and life. The sixth stanza is starts to relate the blackwater woods to her life, though in this stanza it is with a feeling of despair. The seventh stanza continues on from the sixth, with a more hopeful tone. The eighth stanza holds the beginning of the conclusion, where she finally has clear meaning. She speaks of three things you must do, though only reveals the first two. The ninth stanza contains the third thing, the conclusion, and is the longest stanza, at least by word count.

Still Memory~ Mary Karr

 The poem "Still Memory" by Mary Karr is composed of 9 stanzas, each containing 3 lines. The poem centers on memory, as the title suggests. It does not, however, focus on one memory in particular, as many poems do; but focuses on the constants in her childhood, the things that were once normal. The first and last stanzas are seemingly removed from the memory, serving the purpose of introduction and conclusion. The intro stanza speaks about dreaming, using a dream as a natural lead into memory. The middle stanzas describe some of the consistencies in her childhood; which range from the house to the individual activities of mother, father, and sister, to the town and the house's heating, or lack thereof. The final stanza speaks about how the speaker writes about her life when she was that age, and how even now she writes.

Blackberries for Amelia~Richard Wilbur

This poem, entitled "Blackberries for Amelia" by Richard Wilbur tells the story the name suggests, the story of the blackberries. The poem consists of five stanzas, each containing four lines with a abba rhyme scheme. The first stanza talks about the bushes before the berries have appeared. The second stanza talks about the flowers on the blackberry bushes, which will eventually become blackberries. The third stanza introduces a more encompassing metaphor, comparing the night sky, sans stars, to the blackberry. In the forth stanza we are finally seeing an actual blackberry. It first, however, seems to negate the metaphor of the prior stanza, the speaker instead choosing to focus on the berries beginning to ripen. The fifth and final stanza speaks of the end of the life of the berries on a bush, completing the life cycle the speaker has hinted at throughout the poem/ It talks about the time to pick the berries before the birds get to them, as well as what the speaker brings along to this seemingly annual excursion to pick blackberries.

The Kite Runner: Khaled Hosseini

        I enjoy his writing style. He never really over or under explains things. He does not make things obvious. He is very good at telling the story, as apposed to rambling or ranting.I found the intro information to be helpful. I was impressed that the intro was clear and concise, without being dull, useless, uninformative, over explained, or just plain irritating. Bad introductions are one of my pet peeves. It is rare to find extreamly good introductions, and I am pleased to say that this is one of them. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of the characters. They were not cookie cutter in the sense that the author didn't only include the ones that had huge roles, but all the ones that played a part in the story. I also enjoyed the contrast of religion, an issue that is hard to broach, one that many are afraid of. I admire the fact that he is not afraid of it, but rather lets it be a natural part of the story.