Yousef Abou Areda Poetry Project Class 811
Original Poems
Enjoy it While it Lasts
There was a man and woman
Who had a son
They played a lot
Boy that was fun
Time went on
And the boy grew
He had no idea
His father’s time was almost due
One day the man grew sick
He wouldn’t be better
As the days went on
He wrote his son a series of letters
He kept getting worse
Until he couldn’t get out of bed
When his son saw this
There was nothing to be said
Until the day came
Where his father passed away
The boy no longer saw brightness
Just black and gray
As he looked through his father’s things
He found the letters
It had the scent
Of his father’s sweaters
As he read the first letter
Tears filled up in his eyes
He couldn’t take it
He started to cry
The letter read
You are the sunshine to my darkness
You are the strength to my muscles
You are the honey to my bunch
You are the dreams to my truth
You are the foundation to my goals
And most importantly
You are the love to my heart
I’m sorry
Reflection: In order to write this poem, I payed special attention to the rhyme scheme. I did this so the poem would have a nice beat (with the second and fourth line of most of the stanzas rhyming) and would make reading the poem smooth. I also used imagery to incorporate the five senses and help readers have a better sense of the poem overall.
The Beauty of It All: A Series of Haikus
I hear the thunder
I see the lightning
I feel the rain
The steadiness of the water
I want to jump
But I can’t swim
The water
So powerful
Yet so gentle
Reflection: To write this series of haikus, I used an illusion and was inspired by the Japanese poet Jack Kerouac. I used an illusion from Macbeth in the first poem. Jack Kerouac had a surprising ending in the last line of the haikus, which I incorporated in the second and third haikus.
Sonnet
The Beginning of the End
It all started when my mother left us
And let my poor little heart simply break
And so my father left me in the dust
How much would my lonely heart have to take?
I never put a smile on my face
There was never again a sign of joy
Oh sure I was being a stubborn case
I’ve felt like life’s little slave since I was a boy.
Soon enough my father left us as well
Leaving me all alone with our black cat
Nobody understands. What could I sell?
All I had was my cat to eat the rats
Although my living parents had just gone,
In my heart they’d always linger on.
Reflection: In order to write this sonnet, I payed special attention to the line break. I did this so that each line is powerful and could stand by itself. I was also inspired by “Another Sonett for Stephan” by William Shakespeare because it helped me develop a theme and more smooth structure.
Reading Response
Reading Response on Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde (Heart Poem)
Negligence, pressure, suicide, depression. All issues that currently exist in our society. These matters are constantly repeated in “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde. The poem is about a fourteen year old girl suffering from depression and negligence from her peers and mother. The girl gives readers a sense that she wants to commit suicide. The poem by Audre Lorde is a truly beautiful poem that informs readers about how teens feel about current issues in our society.
To start off, the main character in Hanging Fire constantly suffers from negligence throughout the poem. The main character repeatedly states “ And momma’s in the bedroom with the door closes” (lines 10-11, 22-23, 34-35) after questioning if she will live until the next morning. This shows readers that the main character is being neglected by her mother. Throughout the whole poem, the main character talks about all the problems she’s currently confronting, showing signs of serious depression, and her mother is clearly not there to support her daughter through her difficulties. The author’s craft is especially important with this line. The majority of the stanza is about the teen’s problems, and Audre lorde purposely ends each stanza with this line, showing readers’ that the mother is not there for her child. The author also hints to readers that this teen wants/ is thinking about committing suicide. The main character says line such as “ What if I die before morning” (line 8), “ Suppose I die before graduation” (line 15), and “ While I live long enough” (line 32) to show the main characters thoughts about death. Each line is interpreted as a question, portraying that this teen wants someone to hear her pain and help her. All in all, negligence and suicide are frequent issues in the poem.
Moreover, depression and pressure are continual matters found in each stanza of the poem. The main character shows readers that she is ashamed about her body and the way that the world treats her overall. The main character states in the first two lines “ I am fourteen and my skin has betrayed me” and “ How come my knees are always so ashy” (lines 7-8). Right off the bat, readers get the sense that this teen is not proud of the way she looks. This is not the only sign that the main character is suffering from depression and under a lot of depression. The main character gives readers a sense that she is constantly treated badly by her peers and society overall. The poem states “ Nobody stops to think about my side of it. I should have been on the math team my marks were better than his”. This conveys that the main character believes that nobody cares about her opinion. The part about not making it to the math team shows readers that despite how hard she works, it always ends up in vain. Finally, the main character says
“ Suppose I die before graduation they will sing sad melodies, but finally, they will tell the truth about me”, again indicating that she is ashamed of something. In her mind, there is some ugly truth behind her, although she doesn’t show any signs of a wicked personality. Overall, the main character shows multiple signs of depression and a lot of pressure.
In retrospect, this poem really speaks out to me as a teenager. At the age of 13-19, you always need the comfort of your parents, especially your mother. The main character is constantly being neglected by her mother throughout the poem despite her difficulties. This has a negative effect on her. This makes me appreciate my own mother more because she’s always there for me when I need her. The author also teaches readers that you should always treat people with kindness because you never know what they’re going through. If people in the main character’s society knew she was depressed, they wouldn’t treat her in this wicked way. Her mother also wouldn’t neglect her and the main character wouldn’t feel so insecure about her body. Depression isn’t always so easy to notice, which is why you should always think twice before you say something to someone.
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