Let's Talk Poetry, Nerds!

Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood poems of all time: Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” You know the one—every graduation speech ever is like “I took the road less traveled… and that has made all the difference.” Inspiring, right?

Except… plot twist: that’s literally not what the poem is saying.

Frost wasn’t handing you a motivational poster. He was kind of making fun of how we rewrite our past to make it sound deeper than it was. Like—he straight up says both roads were “really about the same.” But future-you will totally lie and act like you were some rebel trailblazer in a forest of conformity.

So next time someone captions their study abroad photo with “the road less traveled,” just know Frost is rolling his eyes from the afterlife.

This poem is lowkey hilarious once you realize it’s not about being different—it's about how dramatic we are when we try to make meaning out of random choices.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my poetry TED Talk. Take whatever road you want. They’re probably both just dirt.

Betty Boop 5th pd

I am not super great at understanding poetry but there is one poem that has stuck with me ever since I began school. This poem is called "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae and it was written during the First World War. Growing up, I read this poem at school on Remembrance Day to honor loved ones that have fought in wars and died or current loved ones fighting for our country. This poem also inspired the trend for people to wear poppies on Remembrance Day - the poppies are to honor McCrae's friend whom the poem was written about. They are the flower that quickly grew on his friends grave that McCrae made and inspired him to write the poem.

To read more about "In Flanders Fields", follow this link: "In Flanders Fields"

Selena Gomez 7th

I am a die hard fan for deep poetry, seeing everything unfold the more and more you get into it, or even the ones that just put it all out.

This poetry happens to be one that puts it all out there. This shows paranoia by her talking about how there will never be someone who will love her. Her mind has been corrupted into thinking of the bad in the world of love.

porcifan234 p3

The poem, in the book Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur really struck me. It is so short, but shows the fragmentation of yourself that comes with staying in relationships that are not good for you- friendships or actual relationships. The fact that they hurt each other over and over are like little cracks spreading across glass and demonstrate fragmentation perfectly, I think.

Steve Rogers 5th

The poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost, depicts the fluctuating manner of nature. Frost concludes his poem with intertextuality. He refers to the Garden of Eden, the biblical earthly paradise, that was soiled by the first man and woman, the same way nature can be soiled in an instant. Frost's intentions with this allusion is to compare the ever-changing earth to the place where nature began expulsion.

Anonymoussmile05 p.5

The poem "Points of View" by Ishmael Reed uses an obvious element of poioumena while discussing the two different points of view from two different sets of people. However, the conflict and turning point of this poetry is in the last line. It is an attention grabber, because it makes you think and you're left wondering what the bear really thinks. Ishmael focuses so much on what others think, but not the bear itself.

Silent Shark 6th

I have only recently discovered the work of Susan Howe and WOW I was definitely missing out! She has a common theme of referencing spiritual realms/objects in search for meaning in life. I can see lots of magical undertones that I love. This little snippet is one of my favorites that I have found from her poem That This.

Here is the link to the full poem! https://poets.org/poem/that-this

Legolas 3rd

This poem isn’t postmodern but it still touches me nonetheless. It is referred to as the “First they came…” poem, and there are many different forms, some with four stanzas and others with five. What touches me most is that all the lines have an arrogant air to them, but the last is regretful. I find that you can apply this poem to anything really.

Kachan 6th

In my life I have read and written many poems but "Say Hi To The Mouthless" by an anonymous writer stood out to me a couple of years back. It is simply written and minimalistic but it evoked so much emotion inside of me and made me realize that so many people are alone in this world, even when they have people surrounding them who care for them, the only company they have is themselves.

Say Hi To The mouthless

I Sat there on the wall

talking out my feelings,

No one cared one bit of it at all.

Telling my life to the mouthless,

Waiting for it to say

But it's soundless,

I can chatter all I want,

hoping it grows ears

so it can lend me one.

Never did it utter a sound,

Still hoped one day it would

But I've sat too long,

Too many nights as the owls do,

Waiting for illusions to become a reality.

Oh, how it stares in sympathy,

I wish for once

It'll talk to make me some company.

How disappointing,

So long I sat there

In the cold white creasing ground

Taking it out on the mouthless

For remaining shut,

Yet I remained sitting there,

Telling my life to the mouthless,

Who's earless,

And more or less

a side of me.

Gretel pd. 3

The poem “Death, Be Not Proud” is about the idea that death only rests the mortal body and can never destroy the immortal soul. When I first read this it really connected to me because I had never thought of death in that way before and it made me think of it as a good thing.

King Midas 3rd

It's a simple example, but it teaches a valuable lesson about clinging to your dreams no matter what. Langston Hughes, whose poem 'Dreams,' in a short and beautiful form, invites readers to hold fast to their dreams, is a poet with a similar message. Let's take a closer look at the poem and see what Hughes was attempting to say.

the_freckle_face 7th

One of my favorite poems, "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman tells the story of a ship and crew who have just returned from a long voyage, but the captain is dead and the right hand man is mourning his death. Whitman uses intertextuality to tell the story of the death of Abraham Lincoln, the idea of losing a leader that had done so much, someone that you cared for or looked up to. This poem is beautiful, Whitman is able to make you feel sad or feel any emotion he wants you to.

Donald Duck 7th

Maya Angelou, and her poem "Passing Time" discusses the ideas and themes of race, time, and the circle of life. She captivates the idea that theres no difference between one person and the next and that were all equal and should be loved the same. She uses minimalsim becuase her word choice is straight forward, but manages to get her point across sucesfully. Talking about her self and others and how their differences in a simple matter draws attention to the significance to this poem.

Thing 1 5th

Dreams (1922) - Langston Hughs

My favorite poem is by Langston Hughs and it is called 'Dreams." The poem shows elements of paranoia and fabulation.

Paranoia

Hughs predicts that when you lose dreams, you lose your life. Not literally, but you lose the life of imagination and your life becomes pointless because there would be nothing else to dream about to give your life meaning. This offers fear to the audience and would allow them to pursue dreaming about stuff that gives meaning to their lives.

Fabulation

Dreams occur in the unconscious state of mind, when you sleep, and they usually pertain things that are close or related to you. Hughs projects that if you don't have dreams, then life becomes meaningless, which is a rejection of realism. Hughs is able to link dreams from an unconscious mind to living in a conscious state by using imagination, which is fabulation.

Glitterunicornkitty-p.5

I don't usually reach towards poetry, but when i do i love the deep messages beneath the poem that i can either relate to the world of myself. The poem that i chose was " Bird With Two Right Wings" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Ferlinghetti uses intertextuality and pastiche to express his distaste in the government and who the country chooses to govern it. He basically states that these days anyone can become president like "chameleon kid" I like hoe Ferlinghetti expressed how we as Americans are simply passengers that have no control over the chaos going on around us.

tayloralisonswift 5th

I researched postmodernist poets online and found Alfonsina Storni. Her poems are often translated from Spanish, so a few are a little confusing to read, but this specific one titled "Parasites" made a lot of sense to me. In it, I see the postmodernist elements of magical realism and fabulation, because she describes an all powerful God who has spiritual, unseen power among the people on earth. Seeing with the stars and touching with the seas are intangible, magical actions, but they create an idea of luscious glory and righteousness. I also noticed some playfulness/humor in the last couple lines, where she states the men and material objects are God's parasites that infest the earth. Although there is a valid and real point behind these words, they are dramatically exaggerated for comedic effect.

lukecombsismyboyfriend 4th

The poem that I really enjoyed reading was Emily Dickinson's "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died - (591)" It has a dark meaning but is very impactful and simple. The author uses a metaphor to compare the buzz of a fly to the transition period between life and death. Postmodernist Minimalism is applied throughout the entire poem through simple language. Emily Dickinson didn't use any super descriptive language. Emily uses Black Humor when she basically says that the last thing a person hears before dying is the buzzing of a fly rather than the face of God.

Here's the poem!

Anne Teak 4th

I personally do not find all types of poems and poetry as intriguing but sometimes the shortest ones that hardly say much can be very impactful in my mind as I read. So I came across this postmodern poem called "Dreams" by Langston Hughes.

This poem is very short but it is talking about dreams, not the ones we see when we sleep but life living dreams. The dreams that give us hope to aspire to be, and the author says to hold onto that. Without having goals and aspirations, our lives will feel broken or empty like a field thats barren as he describes in his poem. This poem is quite minimalistic but the simple words and short stanzas say so much with so little.

Panda

3rd pd.

Although I love reading poetry, I've never took the time to research different Postmodernist poets and poems. Thanks to Big Nerd, I have discovered Steven Crane, who is a brilliant writer. Crane was alive during the Reconstruction era, but he was definitely a man ahead of his time. He is also credited with beginning modern Naturalism. Out of all of his poems, these two caught my attention the most: "I Was in the Darkness" and "In the Desert".

[both images are hyperlinked to other poems by Crane :) ]

The first poem describes how as soon as Crane was able to see what was in heart, he regretted it. The second one describes a creature eating their own heart and enjoying it. These poems are definitely dark. My first reaction while reading them was "Wow". I loved the twist at the end of these poems.

NikeLover4Life! 2nd Period

The lyrical poem by Emily Dickinson "Because I could not stop for death", is about a woman's traumatized state of mind. The poem symbolizes Dickinson's journey to the afterlife with death. Emily Dickinson wrote this poem for the readers to understand her acceptance of death and how she is wishing for an eternal afterlife. This poem overall makes me realize to myself that I really should make the most out of my life so when death is upon me I will not have the doubting feeling that I will make it into an afterlife.

Here is the full poem:

Billyyerd Pd. 2

Poem are a difficult topic for me, because the poems can't be interpreted in many ways. And there's difficult poems that when I read it I don't know what it even means. So, I really enjoy a poem that I can understand and maybe even can relate to. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur is a very popular book that includes tons of little poems in it. One of my favorite poems is called "If you ever feel like you need a guy to complete you...". It relates to me because you can want someone to fill the hole in your life but its better to fill it on your own, don't use someone to make you happy. Don't depend on someone to make you happy because it will end bad.

rosemary juniper lee 7th

I was super into poetry during my underclassmen years, but I'm in my novel reading era mostly because of book club. I still remember one of my favorite author and poet from my poetry phase which is Laurie Halse Anderson. She is the author of her very well known book, "Speak." Which deals with sexual assault and it's effects on a person's life. This story reflected by her own sexual assault as a child, in a recent book called "Shout." It includes a few postmod elements such as paranoia of men in general, and the gut wrenching paranoia that Anderson felt when ever she was in public.

Plus, she includes trauma from her childhood from her parents and other kids bullying her, which is sadly a little too relatable. The way she conveys her feelings into words is so perfect, and it's a little minimalistic but it's very easy for the audience to fill in the details.

I love the poem "Death Wish" by Alex Baker because it shows the dangers of falling in love. This poet includes fragmentation through his experiences with love. He goes back in time to when he was first in love as a boy and then returns to his state now. This poem is so good and I love the repetition of love being a death wish. He also changes perspectives to love within ourselves as well which is a beautiful message.

5th Period

When searching for a poem, I stumbled upon this gem. I love the quick layout of the poem. It's clearly metafiction, but it's also very ironic. This poem made me laugh and I wanted to share it with you. It's a great representation of how poetry is the ultimate form of communicating a message because the format is so open and free. He said so much in just a few words.

Sally_1 6th period

I think people write poetry to convey feelings they have that are very hard for even the author to describe. That is why I think that poetry can be very confusing to some people, aka me. This poem, "MEMORY HAS BECOME AN UNCOMFORTABLE LUMP IN MY CONSCIOUSNESS", is about ones morals. It is hard to make decisions that you know are wrong because you have built a consciousness. This poem is very minimalistic, the meaning of the whole poem is hidden inside of each word.

MEMORY HAS BECOME AN UNCOMFORTABLE LUMP IN MY CONSCIOUSNESS.

D.J. Libre 4th

As much as I'd like to ctrl c + ctrl v someone else's poem, I've decided that I'm not a normie, so I'll show y'all some of my own poems instead. Don't worry, I received special permission from Big Nerd to do this. If you want to read more poems like these, join the Writer's Guild next year.

Noxious Flower

When my petals are gloved

Someone gets my knife’s fatal kiss

Don't they want to feel loved

Don’t they want a romantic bliss

Ugh, I hate the smell of metal.

My knife has kisses spread

Over its edge where they settle.

I can’t afford more red.

Man, woman, doesn’t matter

They can all share my loving dreams

Why do loved ones scatter

I only want to hear their screams

Their screams flail in my melted ears,

Screams I can’t get rid of.

Her “kisses” invoke immense fear.

Scars are what she calls love.

I give my friends care from above

Kissing beyond the bone

Even if they don’t give me love

I’ll give some of my own

To a degree, it’s true

What they think. I did it.

But I never wanted to do

Something so barbaric.

They retreat back to shade

When I do what they did to me

Fleeing my red-drenched blade

It’s my form of love, don’t you see

It dries. I see it all

On my soaked knife and gloves,

The souvenirs she stole from all

Those who she says she loves.

Now I can look at them close up

Those I loved and care for

Their love for me is drying up

It’s time for them to give me more

It doesn’t last very long.

It dries up, and she wants more.

It always feels so wrong,

But I can’t stop her lust for gore.

Looking at it I remember

How much they all love me

That’s why I return the favor

Now everyone is happy

Each stroke hurts me as well.

When she stabs them, I feel it, too.

Every scar burns like Hell,

But there’s nothing I can do.

As you can tell from the colors, this poem is fragmented and told from the perspectives of two people at once, sort of. Well, it's actually one person who is bipolar and has a sadistic side, but you get the idea. It represents two sides of one person who have vastly different views of what love feels like. One believes it comes from gratitude from others, and the other side believes it comes from the freedom to satisfy your darkest curiosities and do whatever you want to someone else. One is a petal, the other is a thorn.

Trigger warning!

The next poem contains religion. If you're sensitive to Christianity, skip this one.

Man Beneath The Cross

I’m being hunted by figures who don’t exist.

Even when I can’t see them, I still feel them there.

I wouldn’t be so far away if they’d just desist.

I want them to leave, but He won’t answer my prayer.

They say I am a reincarnation of Him

As if I’m nearly as benevolent or strong.

Wherever He walks, he teaches us how to swim

Unless we swim in blood when we’re aware it’s wrong.

As for me, it was an innocent person’s blood,

My one true disciple among the illusions.

She was the only one I murdered in my flood.

Why do they believe in these stupid delusions?

Selective killing, my only shared trait with Him

But He still gave himself up to salvage the rest.

I’m still here, and I murdered someone on a whim.

I can’t believe I call slaughter trying my best.

The only ones following me now are stalkers,

Taunting me for how I disgrace the path He tread.

Where I tried to walk, she drowned in darker waters,

But I shouldn’t worry about it now that she’s dead.

Are those the words of a merciful deity?

Does He mistake his close friends for fabrications?

Does He give in to his mind’s spontaneities?

No? Then don’t look at me with His expectations.

You can’t expect someone like me never to sin.

Looking up at Him on His cross, I fall to my knees.

Summoning these floods, how am I at all like Him?

Dragging beneath the waves everyone I can seize.

Despite my efforts, I’ll never match the divine.

Guess I’m not supposed to be the savior this time.

The man in question here is a devout Christian who does everything he can do to become closer to God. However, he once accidentally killed someone, which is a violation of the Ten Commandments. Now he's paranoid about how others view him, and often experiences nonexistent voices taunting him and pointing out how he will never be like God. All he can do at this point is drown in the blood he summoned, almost imitating God flooding the world. However, unlike God, this man wasn't cleansing the world of evil. He only created more of it.

Hey, Big Nerd, this next poem is the one I told you about yesterday.

I'm Feeling Icky Today

Do you wish you had something else you could do?

Lots of people do, but not as much as I.

I can’t go home yet; there’s still more residue.

The higher-ups are letting more trouble brew.

And every time, I watch them pretend to cry.

I wish I had another job I could do.

I have to clean every painting they drew.

Peeling red paint off, it gets more and more dry.

I still can’t go home; there’s yet more residue.

They always find someone to shift the blame to.

This time it’s my fault they’re letting people die.

Why isn’t there a different job for me to do?

Now this canvas is a disgusting red hue.

With every scrub, I hear another ghost cry.

Can I go home? I can’t clean this residue.

This one’s done, but there’s another in the queue.

There’s more to scrub, and I’m still the bad guy.

This job doesn’t run out of things for me to do.

I’m sorry, I can’t come home tonight. I love you.

I'm sure many college students can relate to this. The government screwed up and let someone die, and now this person has to clean up the mess for some reason. Those with privilege are able to deflect their consequences onto someone else and even repeat their offenses. And whoever suffers the consequences in their place also takes the blame for the entire incident. Ironic, isn't it?

Bad Guys

If you have nothing false to say,

Sit down and don’t throw anything.

Here where we throw rocks every day

The best at killing becomes king.

Bend your knee or ready your sword.

Remember his right to the throne.

Don’t attempt what you can’t afford.

He slays evil with just one stone.

If you agree, you’re a good guy.

If not, don’t ever let him know.

He lives to see enemies cry.

He always has more stones to throw.

What he believes is reality,

Even if we know it's a lie.

Only bad guys dare disagree.

So fight for him and don’t ask why.

You’ll become a good guy? Wise choice.

But you must always keep in mind,

As your king, he requires your voice

To fight for him, even when blind.

Only he can make amendments.

You’re not the great arbitrator.

Voices don’t grant independence.

With us? Or are you a traitor?

At first I wasn't sure what inspired me to write this. I'm at the point where first I write a poem, and then I discover what inspired it later on. I'm guessing this one was inspired by political wars on social media, especially Twitter. Hopefully Elon Musk can shape that wasteland up. Anyways, this poem is ironic for a similar reason to the previous one: anyone who challenges a tyrant is identified as a "bad guy." Being a good guy in this situation comes from "throwing stones," by which I mean demonizing someone else in order to make yourself appear more virtuous. Because of the bigotry inherent in this trend, anyone who disagrees with the "virtuous" person or points out a flaw in their logic is a villain. If you're not about to spread a saint's lies, stay silent.

Welp, that's all for now. If you want to hear more poems, come join the Writer's Guild next year!

RJ Kilo 4th

I really enjoyed the poem "Points of View". Fragmentation is highly evident in this poem with the two different perspectives on how to deal with a bear. I also noticed some fabulation in the last line with asking "the bear what he thinks". I don't think a bear could give a very detailed response. Actually, I don't think a bear could respond at all.

Noah Lott 2nd

A random poem that I found that I really enjoyed was a poem by Xiao Xi called "the car is backing up, please pay attention". It was translated from Chinese originally, and features no formal setup, it has no rhyming, it is a completely free form and free verse poem.

What caught my attention when I read it was just how deep it truly was. I completely expected this poem to be silly and funny, about almost accidentally mowing your neighbors down. However, upon reading it, you see such a deep poem, one that was eye-opening and reminded me of some of my own experiences. It features maximalism in its extraordinary detail that allows for excellent imagery, and it also features, to me, temporal distortion. You jump from thing to thing, forgetting you're in the car and just completely being shifted to a different place with each sentence. It's beautiful.

Gray Puzzle 5th

As I searched for postmodern poetry, I came across many poems. But, this particular poem stood out to me because of the symbolism of the bird representing the government and how both the democrats and the republicans are both the same deep down (2 right wings) Here is a link to this poem

Here is a snapshot. See the symbolism?

Insertfunnyname pd. 2

Any day I would chose reading a poem over a book. I am not good at staying focused reading text for long time, and I think that's why I enjoy poetry. Reading a poem is normally a short meaningful read. My favorite types of poems are one that inspire me during hard times to keep going and just mean a lot. One of the poems I have come across that I find inspiring is "Move Past This" by Catherine Pulsifer-

When you are feeling down And all you can muster up is a frown That is the time to stop And count your blessings until you drop.

Focus on all of life’s good And you will find things work out as they should Feeling sorry and just sitting around It is a sure thing to bring you down.

Take some action, make a move It doesn’t matter if others approve Nothing lasts forever You will move past this if you endeavor!

This poem makes me happy because it gives a sense of peace when I'm overwhelmed and worried. It makes me realize how much I can and should be thankful for, and when one thing doesn't work out, hundreds of other things do. This poem also helps me realize I do not need to make decisions based on others around me. My decisions of how I care for myself, will only ever affect myself and no one else.

This poem speaks volume to me. I have always been a huge advocate of self love before you can love anyone else. This poem says it all, you have to be able to do the things you would do for another for yourself, and when someone you love leaves you cant tear yourself apart. You have to be able to pick yourself up. Poems have always been a struggle for me to understand. But this poem was very clear to me, which is why I like it so much. It is clear the meaning, and is uplifting, which I love.

Mildred 6th

Nothing Gold Can Stay

By: Robert Frost

This is a very well known postmodern poem by Robert Frost. The reason I picked this one is because the message of his poem has stuck with me ever since I read it in 5th grade. The meaning is pretty self explanatory in the title, nothing good lasts forever. The cycle of life brings beauty, but also death. This poem also reminds me of the postmodern short story I read, "Flowers" by Alice Walker, because both show the natural cycle of life and death and loss of innocence. It's a nice reminder to take in everything and never take things for grated.

Petunia 2nd

Charles Bukowski's "Love is a Dog From Hell" describes how our society is broken and how everyone is so lonely yet we ignore it. People are broken. We have people so depressed from their lives that they turn to suicide. We all fight each other instead of accepting each other. We don't truly see each other anymore and I feel this deep in my bones. The truth of his message can be seen and felt everywhere around you no matter who your talking to. People give to others while neglecting themselves since that is what we've been told we need to do. Bukowski captures this message perfectly with his words in this poem.

iheartmelk 3rd

I love this poem by Henri Cole because it includes the postmodern element, fragmentation throughout his poem. Cole shares his fragmented thoughts on his encounter with a black bear. He also includes metafiction in how he turns the camera back into himself throughout the poem. Cole blurs the line between himself and his audience. Love this and the rush of thoughts we go through as we meet a new creature.

JerryTheGiraffe 5th

I'll be honest, I'm not a poetry fan! (Don't kill me please) However, every so often I come across a poem that captures my attention, at least for a little bit. One such poem happens to be Ted Hughes' "The Thought Fox." This is a poem about a speaker who sits in front of a blank page, struggling with how to begin his story, when he notices a

fox make a tentative yet purposeful journey to it's destination. The speaker then realizes that his page has been written for him, expressing the postmodernism element of metafiction, as the poem is about the process of creation. The fox represents inspiration and creativity, showing how creative thought originates somewhere other than the speaker's conscious mind.

Here's a snapshot of the last stanza when the creation has been created!

M&M P.2

The postmodernist poem I want to share is, Bird With Two Right Wings. The meaning of this poem is that Democrat and Republican views don’t matter in the long run because the author believes they are both right winged and will lead America down hill either way. Poetry is so moving because it often combines many powerful elements like imagery, metaphors, and satire. This poem is postmodernist because of the satirical and ironic way it condemns America’s government.

In all honesty, I prefer to write poetry rather than read it, but I have a soft spot for Pablo Neruda- maybe I've seen Il Postino too many times?

This particular poem has strong elements of black humor, especially at the end, where Neruda remarks that "[e]veryone's invited to the party!" after going into great detail about the corruption and loss that's rampant in his society. This remark seems almost sparked by the speaker's paranoia when it comes to the possibility of meeting the same fate as all the others he's speaking about, and fragmentation is another important element of this poem, as Neruda jumps between dates and trains of thought.

Recently I have been reflecting on how fast I feel like I am growing up. Noticing how quick that my time has gone by, especially considering the end of the school is fast approaching and I am moving up in my grade level once again. This poem really resonated with me recently, the poem is called When the first teeth go by Amos Russel Wells. Here it is below:

It is infancy's old age When the first teeth go; It's the turning of the page When the first teeth go; It's farewell to merry youth With its innocence and truth, With its tenderness and ruth, When the first teeth go.

There are novelties of pain When the first teeth go; Quick to lose and slow to gain, When the first teeth go; Ugly vacancies appear, New and lisping tones we bear 'Tis a most erratic year When the first teeth go.

Ah, the sober thoughts we think When their first teeth go, And the rising tears we wink When their first teeth go! For the coming teeth must chew Many meals of bitter rue, And their sorrows come in view As their first teeth go.

Yes, but grand teeth come instead, When the first teeth go, Strong for meat and white for bread, When the first teeth go; Though the crust is hard and dry, Health and power in it lie, And there's better by and by; Let the first teeth go!

I love the way that the author pulls a long metaphor throughout the journey of life and then uses it to connect with how people should accept that life needs to move forward or people will not grow.

🤓

I absolutely love poetry! I'd much rather sit back and read poetry than a regular old chapter book...sorry!

Nothing Gold Can Stay

BY ROBERT FROST

Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

This is a poem that I absolutely love! The poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost talks about how no matter how perfect something or someone tries to be it's never going to stay perfect because each and every day is never the same and all good things must eventually come to an end.

Donald Revell talks about death in his poem, "Death" but there is an underlying message here which deals with how we cope with death. Revell is trying to get us to understand that death is just a celebration of life and to accept death for how it is. Revell has a conversation with "Death" almost in a flirty way. This helps us to understand the conversation he has with death and how to not be afraid of it and embrace it.

"Death," I said, "if your eyes were green

I would eat them."

For what are days but the furnace of an eye?

If I could strip a sunflower bare to its bare soul,

I would rebuild it:

Green inside of green, ringed round by green.

There'd be nothing but new flowers anymore.

Absolute Christmas.

"Death," I said, "I know someone, a woman,

Who sank her teeth into the moon."

Check out the full poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/51171/death-5964e24388316

This poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is one of my favorite poems I've ever read. This is a very popular poem that has reoccurred throughout my schooling. This poem contains the postmodernism element of minimalism when it describes the two paths that the author can take. He explains that there isn't a huge difference between these paths, but he took the one that most people did not choose to go down.

This poem is about losing. You can not control what you loose and reality gets blurred when you do. A interesting postmodernism piece that describes loosing things comes naturally.

“One Art,” by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

I like to read poetry because so little words can mean so much and I find that fascinating. Poems can hold a powerful message or no meaning at all. I love the poems that can be interpreted in many ways and when you find out the meaning of them you can feel that little tug on your heart ♡ because you understand what the poet was trying to say. A poem I want to share is a poem by Sylvia Plath called "Love Letter". It is about how she felt dead until she met the man she loved and he brought her back to life. Here is the link to the whole poem. Throughout the poem you can see magical realism as she compares herself to animals or inanimate objects. Maximalism is also seen by her talking how this man made everything better and everything revolved around him.

Poetry, in my opinion says things that books can only hope to convey. Within a few lines and stanzas, a poet can get across the most beautiful message, or no message at all. I think the best poems are the ones which we continue to analyze without true understanding of the poets intentions. I've included a wonderful surrealist poem by Charles Baudelaire. I personally love plants, but that's not the true meaning behind the poem, or maybe it is👀

I would much rather read a book than read poetry (sorry to all my poetry lovers). This poem that I found, “As Agony. As Now.” by Amiri Baraka, was interesting and he created wonderful imagery that describes his feelings perfectly. He uses metafiction to describe the part that hates himself and is acting like he is an outsider of his body.

This experience makes him recognize the world outside of him and it shows how isolated he really is. It is a really deep poem, and it is so beautifully written.

Here is the full poem:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52777/an-agony-as-now