Emily's+Poetry+Log+(October)

October
Favorite Line(s): "It’s odd to have a separate month. It/escapes the year, it is not only cold, it is warm." || Favorite Line(s): "Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,/Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes" || Favorite Line(s): "I was 6 and/I lost my snake." || Favorite Line(s): "And I am running to paradise; [...] And there the king is but as the beggar." || Favorite Line(s): "Mother to two daughters, I guard their lives with hope, a pinch of salt I throw over my shoulder." || Favorite Line(s): "The world was beginning all over again, fresh and hot;/we could have anything we wanted." || Favorite Line(s): "The purple land./She cannot see the grain/Ripening on hill and plain;/She cannot feel the rain/Upon her hand." || Favorite Line(s): "A bear, however hard he tries,/Grows tubby without exercise./Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,/Which is not to be wondered at." || Favorite Line(s): "Let’s sit by the legless Queen doll’s tiny wheelchair/and read to her awhile if she wishes it. In a faint/voice she requests a thimbleful of strong dark tea." || Favorite Line(s): "By kindled light we thought we saw the bronze of fall." || Favorite Line(s): "Then the huge bird flies off once more/Swollen with the wind/His wings wounded by stars" || Favorite Line(s): "I sleep head upon elbow/In the calm desert within the lamp’s circle" || Favorite Line(s): "The waitresses are helping/themselves to handfuls of cash out of the drawer" || Favorite Line(s): "They call/him Sorcerer. They call me Knight./We have always lived in the dark." || Favorite Line(s): "The entire mix of animals stood/away from the trees. A lone emu shook/its round body hard and squawked. It ran/along the fence line, jerking open its wings." || Favorite Line(s): "the electric motor driving the noontide witch,/the gingerbread cottages/and the sclerotic/cardboard princess" || Favorite Line(s): "The dead people I often consulted/nodded their skulls in unison/while I flung my black velvet cape/over my shoulders and glowered" || Favorite Line(s): "Know how to grasp with their broken fingers/the gold coins of light that give open air/its shine." || //Thorough and insightful commentary. Quite a diverse collection...but it seems to have taken a bit of break. Pace yourself.// ||
 * || **Date** || **Title** || **Poet** || **Comments** ||
 * 38 || October 2, 2011 || [|October] || Bill Berkson || In this poem, the speaker describes her feelings towards the month “October.” In the first stanza, the speaker conveys how “odd” it is “to have a separate month,” referring to the perhaps odd weather of October. The speaker does not seem to understand the goodness of this month. He does not enjoy the cold yet warm weather. The speaker states that although the month of October may be a transition month “to hold one’s interest/between the various drifts of a day’s/work, […] but it is not beautiful.” In the last stanza however, the speaker reveals that while everyone seems to believe October is lovely, he himself believes that the true October is an individual, perhaps his lover. While on the surface October seems beautiful, the “stone of your words” seems to suggest that the speaker believes October is not a good month.
 * 39 || October 2, 2011 || [|Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes] || Thomas Gray || The title “Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes” an ironic one, as it reverses the predator and prey. The poem describes the beauty of the cat as she looks down into a lake, her “velvet [..] paws,” “ears of jet, and emerald eyes.” When the lake “Betray[s] a golden gleam,” the cat stretches her paw into the lake to catch the golden fish. However, she reaches too far and “tumble[s] headlong in.” And while the cat struggles to swim, she sees no treasure of a fish, and realizes she has been deceived. No one comes to her rescue and the cat eventually drowns. The poem seems to be a metaphor for the greediness of mankind and the consequences such greed can bring, with riches becoming our predators rather than our prey.
 * 40 || October 4, 2011 || **[|Snakes]** || Eileen Myles || In the poem "Snakes," the speaker attempts to escape from the conflicts of adulthood by constantly returning to the memories of her six-year-old life. The poem begins with the line "I was 6 and/I lost my snake." Since a snake traditionally symbolizes evil and sin, the loss of the snake seems to symbolize absence of such corruption in childhood. In the next three stanzas, the speaker seems to be involved in an argument at her home, upon which she thinks back to her childhood, her "little shoe." "moo and everything [begins] to change," the lowercase "moo" symbolizing the innocence and childlike nature of a six-year old child. As the speaker "[turns] into lightning," she achieves a feeling of power, a feeling she perhaps wishes she could have in her argument in adulthood. As the speaker reveals more about the progression of her argument, her thoughts are continuously interrupted with "I am 6," emphasizing her desire to escape the problems she is facing. For the speaker, pretending that she has returned to her childhood state seems to be a defense mechanism for the problems surrounding her, allowing her to escape a perhaps an anxious world to a worry-free one of childhood innocence where the only problem was a lost snake.
 * 41 || October 4, 2011 || **[|Running to Paradise]** || William Butler Yeats || In the poem "Running to Paradise," the speaker contrasts material and spiritual wealth. The speaker initially conveys his earthly poverty as a beggar, stating "they threw a halfpenny into my cap." The next line, however, provides a sudden turn in events as the speaker reveals that he is "running to paradise." As if he is guided by the hand of God, the speaker conveys that "all that [he] need do is to wish" (or pray) and he will have what he needs to survive this life on earth. In subsequent stanzas, the speaker continues to show the worldly riches of others, including his brother's servants and belongings. In the third stanza, the speaker states, "Poor men have grown to be rich men,/and rich men grown to be poor again," showing the true reversal of events and wealth when comparing earthly to spiritual wealth. By "running to paradise," the speaker conveys that he, although poor in material goods, is rich in spiritual health and heading towards heaven." The speaker emphasizes this concept by ending each stanza with "And there the king is but as the beggar," emphasizing the perhaps corrupt nature of money in preventing rich men of earth from gaining spirituality, something "that nobody can buy or bind." The line "And there the kind is but as the beggar," reminded me of a line in Act 4 Scene 3 of Hamlet when Hamlet speaks to Claudius about the cycle of consumption in which humans are all eventually consumed by worms. In death, one cannot take his earthy riches with him and all are equal in worldly wealth. Here, only spiritual wealth matters.
 * 42 || October 5, 2011 || [|History is a Room] || Shara McCallum || In "History is a Room," the speaker describes history as a room in which certain requirements are needed in order to enter. She suggests that to become a part of history she must be powerful; "a man," not "a girl." The speaker shows her superstitions and seemingly cautious life, guarding her daughters and occasionally throwing "a pinch of salt over [her] shoulder." She conveys that in order to make history, one must perhaps be violent, "to wield a gun," or "to live in the past [and] present," "to understand how power is amassed," and to be involved in "//This// election. //This// war," the most pressing issues of our time. Instead, however, the speaker only wields the recipe of "plantain and eggs a meal," and lives not for politics or the past, but for the future of her children as a caring mother. The speaker conveys that because she is not involved in the greater worldwide issues and instead focuses on the small things in her life, she cannot enter this room in which history is made. This poem made me think about history as an area of knowledge in TOK, and what "history" actually consists of. While the speaker in this poem may not be able to make history in terms of revolutions and movements on a global scale, she is and always will be a part of history whether or not she is remembered. She has existed and made some differences, whether great or small, on the planet. Of course, the children that she raises and the legacies they leave can also allow the speaker to enter the room of history and be a part of the events of the world. But something in the world is different because of each individual person and for that I believe that every person is eligible to enter the room, history.
 * 43 || October 5, 2011 || [|The Planet Krypton] || Lynn Emanuel || "The Planet Krypton" describes the detonation of a bomb in a strangely positive or dreamlike way. Later, however, it is seemingly revealed that the bomb is perhaps one that is being used for building implosion, to tear down a small structure. However, throughout the poem, it is unclear of whether the bombing is meant for construction or if it is meant to be violent, as the speaker describes the device as an "atom bomb," perhaps for hyperbole and perhaps a 'fact' of the poem. The explosion In the first few stanzas, the speaker reveals some of the destruction the bomb has caused: the injury of a man, the destruction of railroads." Nevertheless, the speaker conveys his enjoyment of the bombing as all the things surrounding him are stripped away. He describes the event as phenomenal, as if " something from the Planet Krypton" has arrived." As an element that causes hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, krypton's presence seems to show true violence in the explosion, in great contrast to the speaker's description of the event as a spectacular one. Then again, krypton could also refer to the ever-so-infamous Kryptonite that is notoriously known as Superman's weakness. In this case, the speaker seems to suggest that bombs are the only human weakness, perhaps the most destructive towards our existence. At the end of the poem however, the speaker states "we could have anything we wanted," showing true pleasure at the sight of the explosion. Despite destruction and chaos, the speaker believes that goodness has come out of the explosion. As we later rebuild our lost structures and homes, we can virtually create whatever we want.
 * 44 || October 7, 2011 || [|Dream Land] || Christina Rossetti || In the poem "Dream Land," an ideal land of beauty in a girl's dream is described. As the girl sleeps in a place "where sunless rivers weep," her dream begins, taking her away from this sorrowful place. Like magic, she is "Led by a single star" away from the "rosy morn" and the boringly ordinary "fields of corn" to a place where there are "water springs." In this quiet dream land, the girl is able to "Rest, rest, a perfect rest" where "Time shall cease" and "no pain shall wake." The dream land symbolizes the perfectly peaceful place traveled to as we sleep, when we escape from our daily worries and simply rest.
 * 45 || October 7, 2011 || **[|Teddy Bear]** || A. A. Milne || The poem "Teddy Bear," while an innocent childhood poem, also serves to show that one's differences or uniqueness are actually assets in life. The speaker begins by illustrating the teddy bear's disappointment at his "short and stout" nature, as everyone around him seems to be "skinny." Emphasis is placed on the bear's "short and fat" appearance as the speaker describes the sedentary lifestyle the teddy bear leads, "[getting] what exercise he can/By falling off the ottoman,/But generally seems to lack/The energy to clamber back." The speaker illustrates the sorrow the teddy bear experiences as he "pressed in vain/His nose against the window-pane" and watches all the people outside, none as stout as he. Eventually, however, as the childhood toys and books on the ottoman increase, the bear sees a fairytale King who, very much like the bear, is fat, and named //"//The Handsome." At this point, the bear becomes overjoyed and realizes that being "short and fat" might actually be a positive trait. The teddy bear ends the poem "proud of being short and stout."
 * 46 || October 7, 2011 || **[|Touring the Doll Hospital]** || Amy Gerstler || In the poem "Touring the Doll Hospital," the speaker describes a myriad destroyed dolls, whose injuries seem to be random and "senseless." The speaker conveys the ironic truth of the existence of dolls; they are meant to be torn apart, abused, and tossed about by curious children. As the speaker describes the dolls, they seem to be alone, suggesting that after being tortured, they are thrown aside and left uncared for. The speaker conveys that "we owe them everything," describing them as if these dolls are "martyrs." While these dolls wish to comfort children in fear and in sickness, they are also brutally treated by these children, lacking thanks for the warmth the dolls have provided.
 * 47 || October 10, 2011 || [|Darkling Summer, Ominous Dusk, Rumorous Rain] || Delmore Schwartz || The poem "Darkling Summer, Ominous Dusk, Rumorous Rain," simply describes the process of a rain storm, the savory and gloomy periods. In the first stanza, the storm begins as a silence, and then a mere "tattering of rain." Then suddenly, the rain begins to "[pour] down," soon causing the "hour [to become] musical and rumorous" and gradually quiet and soft again in the midst of the grey sky. In this storm, it seems that the rain was most beautiful. In the second stanza, another storm is described, also beginning with the silence of the surroundings and the quick progression of the storm. The true beauty, however, is after the storm upon which the light presents itself and it is as if "we saw the bronze of fall," the beauteous colors of the sky.
 * 48 || October 10, 2011 || [|The Deeper Shadow] || Pierre Reverdy || "The Deeper Shadow" illustrates the destructive effects urbanization has had on the natural environment. It seem that everywhere one looks, there is an instance of man-made works, even in the most natural of places. There are "Stairs in the branches climbing the clouds," and the haphazardly and unorganized buildings stretch on forever, through "You can't find the number or the street or the name of the blue roads." The inability to define the location of a building suggests its perhaps lack of importance or necessity. However, such buildings continue to stay standing. In the urbanized city, everything appears to be uniform, with "streets all conform[ing] to the same pattern," unlike the natural occurrence of nature. The messy environment man has created has destroyed the natural scene.
 * 49 || October 15, 2011 || [|To Double Lock] || Pierre Reverdy || In the poem "To Double Lock," the speaker describes his experience hiding behind a double-locked door, reflecting upon the times we become angry and then feel regret and shame. The speaker, perhaps in anger, has hidden alone in his room. Now, he feels distant from the celebratory events occurring on the opposite side. As the speaker describes the celebrations he is missing, he says "the sob of spring water ceases," suggesting the tears he may have shed upon hiding behind the doubly locked door. He contrasts the celebrations with his current situation, "the moon's great beaches" outside differing from his own "calm desert within the lamp's circle" in his room. The speaker is upset, and reveals, "I prefer death forgetfulness dignity" since he is "so far away" from all the things he loves.
 * 50 || October 15, 2011 || [|Tomato Pies, 25 Cents] || Grace Cavalieri || The poem "Tomato Pies, 25 Cents" conveys the innocence of the speaker as she describes her family's making of tomato pies. The simple words and positive portrayals of possibly negative events suggests the speaker's young age. The speaker does not seem to think much of the "bad guy" her aunt was going to marry, nor of her uncle being "brought home by the cops" because he was drunk. Instead, the speaker focuses on the togetherness of her family as they make tomato pies. it also seems that the speaker's perspective of the situation is a defense mechanism, to deal with the complex problems surrounding her. In this case, the making of tomato pies as a family would serve as a facade before the perhaps chaotic truth. The speaker then states, "The waitresses are helping," at first suggesting that the waitresses are doing their jobs, making tomato pies with the family. However, the poem then takes an ironic turn to say, "themselves to handfuls of cash in the drawer." The innocence of the speaker is thus further emphasized as she is revealed not to show emotion towards the possibly stealing of money from the family. The waitresses are then said to be "playing the numbers," or gambling, but the speaker is not aware. The sneaky behavior of the waitresses suggests that tension within the family may be so strong that the family members are unaware of theft from their own home, or may condone the gambling done by the waitresses. In contrast, soldiers passing by their town cheerfully chat away as they line up for a tasty tomato pie.
 * 51 || October 15, 2011 || [|Gotham Wanes] || Bryan D. Dietrich || In the poem "Gotham Wanes," the speaker conveys the prominence of masks and the reasons for wearing them. The first reason is to hide ugliness, "because our ugliness was epic." The second is to maintain a facade of power and of wealth as worn by "Kings [and] Pharoahs," whose masks were "fabricated, poured out in gold and beaten" to demonstrate their potency. The third is for cultural reasons, and the speaker exemplifies this by referring to the Mexican culture of wearing masks as "invitations." Prostitutes and brothel workers wear masks in order to hide their identities as "men wear [masks] to watch." But the speaker conveys that he wears a mask for a different reason. At first he seemed to wear one because everyone else did. But at the end of the poem, the speaker reveals that he is the "Dark Knight," wearing a mask for humility and heroic reasons.
 * 52 || October 16, 2011 || [|Rain at the Zoo] || Kristen Tracy || In the poem "Rain at the Zoo," the speaker describes a visit to the zoo and the behavior of the animals when the rain comes. As the rain begins to fall, the zebras, giraffe, and emu all shuffle away from the tourists, "standing away from the trees." This is ironic, as it would usually be expected for animals to stand under the trees to prevent getting wet. The speaker observes the emu squawking and "[running] along the fence line, jerking open its wings." The speaker admits that he is unaware of what the mu is trying to do, and that he was "no idea what about their lives these animals love or abhor," showing that despite often claiming that zoos are educational, humans really know little about their lifestyles. It is merely for entertainment that we come to zoos and observe the behaviors of strange looking creatures.
 * 53 || October 16, 2011 || [|Merry-go-round] || Miroslav Holub || As children ride on the "Merry-go-round," most imagine spectacular adventures to a fantastic land or to outer space. Those who stand by listen to the music they used to ride to in the past as children, and will perhaps again do so in the future when they are old, senior citizens with their grandchildren. The speaker suggests that those who ride on the merry-go-round may become successful "aviators and engineers." However, the speaker suggests that these occupations are merely ordinary. On the other hand, a "little boy who/crouches to watch the electric motor below" the merry-go-round "will be a poet," suggesting that a poet is a truly unique occupational future and that a poet sees the world with different eyes than those ordinary folk who ride the merry-go-round.
 * 54 || October 16, 2011 || [|Olives] || Donald Hall || In the poem "Olives," the speaker describes his childhood loneliness and how he was shunned by the popular crowd in school. He constantly told them "Dead people don't like olives," but no one listened. The olives seem to symbolize bitterness as is the attitude others have towards the speaker. The speaker thus suggests that the futures of these bitter people will be unfortunate. Additionally, the speaker, pretending he is a superhero with his "black velvet cape," seems to be able to hear and see the dead, showing his loneliness and perhaps reason for being eschewed from the crowd. The speaker, while in childhood wishes for the popularity of his classmates, grows up and realizes that he is much better off. The popular crowd has become lazy and fat, unsuccessful and mundane, while as a poet, the speaker enjoys life, fit enough to "cavort with" the daughters of those who used to ignore him.
 * 55 || October 18, 2011 || [|Banana Trees] || Joseph Stanton || In this poem, the speaker describes "Banana Trees" through personification. In the first stanza, he states the growth the trees can experience if "all goes well for them," but then continues the poem with descriptions regarding the destruction of the trees. The speaker describes how the trees are torn by the wind and broken by storms. However, the final stanzas of the poem show the resilience of the banana trees as they "grasp with their broken fingers/the gold coins of light." This poem seems to reflect the similar resilience often exemplified in life, when people are able to overcome difficult and unexpected situations, rising out from the ashes as a stronger and more enlightened individual.
 * ||  ||   ||   || //Checked 21 November 55/42-70//