Living in Numbers Response

I read the Poem Living in Numbers by Claire Lee. Although it is a more modern poem I think that it speaks to people of many different ages. Living in Numbers is a list poem about how many times she has done a certain thing. It has 2 days and the numbers change when the day changes. The first two stanzas are on Sunday, August 22, 2010. This poem starts off with the line
Number of times I've woken up after
oversleeping and sprung out of bed like a ninja: 959
I think that this is interesting because the author broke up the sentence into two lines. I wonder why she did that? In this line there is also as simile comparing the way she got out of bed to a ninja. There is alliteration in the next line "Number of broken bones: 3."The line”Number of Scars, physical: 4; emotional: 947” show how people suffer and get through their difficulties. The author says how many Facebook friends she has, 744, and how many real friends she has, 9. I think that this shows what modern life is like, how people may be your friend  on Facebook but in real life you don’t talk to them. The last line on August 22, is "Number of things I know: 918,394" On Monday, August 23, 2010 the first line is
Number of times I've woken up after oversleeping and sprung out of bed like a ninja: 960
The thing that I find interesting is that unlike the first line it is not broken up into two lines. The thing that I love about this poem is that the numbers in the change when the day changes. I think that it shows how a day goes on and things change. You lose friends, you get new scars, you've laughed, you've cried, and you have gotten through it. I really like this poem, I think that the simplicity of it is great and I love the way that I can come up with a new meaning for it.

Haiku's

Ingnored
Forgotten about

Bursting through with the others 

The weeds are pulled

Fly

A bird flies above 

It glides into the water

flying in the liquid

Light

Kids jump in the water

Watermelon cut in bowl

Freedom for three months

Time
Tick tock goes the clock

Counting every second

Time seems to stand still

Dream Variations Response

In the poem Dream Variations by Langston Hughes there are two verses, the first verse is said in a way that makes it seem like it is a dream or wish whereas the second verse is reality. The line "To fling my arms wide" creates the imagery of a wide open meadow. In the poem there is a rhyme scheme of A,B,C,B,D,E,F,E,G. The line "To whirl and to dance" gives the reader a feeling of hope and longing. The last line of the first verse says "That is my dream" This shows that this is his dream and it is what he wants to be able to dance and be free. The second verse starts the same as the first verse. This verse is told in a more present tense. The line "Dance! Whirl! Whirl!" shows that the authors enthusiasm for his new freedom. In the lines
"Rest at pale evening...
A tall, slim tree..." the ellipses adds suspense for the next line "Night coming tenderly." The word "tenderly" creates an imagery of calmness and  contentedness. The line "Black like me" and "Dark like me" both show that the author embraces who he is as an individual.

It is...

Happiness is sunrise gold ocean on the horizon

Joy is yelling in the wind purple flowers at dawn

Quiet is static gray TV reception

Envy is gremlin green monster mucus

Fear is a stormy night sky blue shooting stars

Freedom is murder red friends working together

Thoughts are eggshell white people behind it all

Response to The Walrus and the Carpenter

The poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll is about a walrus and a carpenter going on a walk where they get oysters to join them in the end the walrus and the carpenter eat the oysters. The first verse describes the setting using the an alliteration of "The sun was shining on the sea." Throughout the whole poem it has a rhyming scheme of A, B, C, B, D, B. In the second verse Carroll personifies the moon, saying that the sun spoiled the fun by being light even when it was night. In the third verse wet is compared to wet in the line " The sea was wet as wet could be" Throughout the poem each line starts with a capital letter. In the lines
If seven mads with seven mops
Swept it for half a year,
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"They could get it clear?"
In this line the walrus is questioning things that may seem crazy. When the walrus and the carpenter invited the oysters on their walk the older oyster declined because he knew what was happening. but the younger ones followed them eager with no idea what was going on. Like the moon Carroll also personified the oysters saying
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
Another thing I thought was interesting is that Carroll used two hyphens in stead of one. In the next verse there is repetition when it says "And more, and , and more--" Frothy gives you imagery of what the shore looked like. "And waited in a row" gives you the feeling of the oysters lining up for their death. In the next verse there is alliteration in the line "Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax" The walrus act really friendly towards the oysters talking about eating bread with vinegar, salt and pepper. When the oysters bring up the idea that they might eat them the walrus changes the subject and the carpenter asks for more food. The carpenter keeps on changing the subject and the walrus feels guilty for eating them but in the end of the poem the need for nutrients won over the guilt so the oysters were eaten.

New Vs. Old

Baby	Vs.	Grandmother
Baby teeth	Vs.	Grown-up teeth
Milk	Vs.	Cheese
Egg	Vs.	Hen
Computer	Vs.	Typewriter
Iphone	Vs.	flip phone
Ipod touch	Vs.	MP3 player
Email	Vs.	Postage
Printer paper	Vs.	Egg carton
Shopping mall	Vs.	Thrift store
Grass sprout	Vs.	Redwood tree
Obama	Vs.	George Washington
Quill	Vs.	Pen
Modern	Vs.	Antique
Present	Vs.	History
U.S.A.	Vs.	The Universe

What to Do if You Can't Find your Phone

What If...

Your phone was lost in a pile of possessions

I would call it with hope

that someone would hear the resonating ring

only to find

my phone is dead

 I would search the house

looking in every nook and cranny

like a spy stalking its subject

When that fails

I nonchalantly ask my family for help

hoping to sound like I am not

thinking of the catastrophic things that could have happened

I search high and low

only to find

my phone 

is exactly where I looked first