Poetry Packet

I enjoy reading poetry, yet I don't read it often. Whenever I do, I try to just relax and soak it all in. Even when I do not understand what the poem is about (the meanings of some of my favorite poems are still a mystery to me) the images, sounds, rhythms, and word choices can draw me in. I'll just talk about a couple of my favorite poems from the packet. I could be totally wrong about their meanings, but I like them anyway.

Bored, by Margaret Atwood

I liked this poem because it was full of visuals. "the intricate twill of the seat covers", "drying the dishes", just a couple of the visuals in the poem. I think that this poem is about her father, and all of the boring monotonous things they used to do together. However, looking back she remembers being happier then. If she could go back to those days she wouldn't see them as boring anymore, because now she can see how precious that time was. It's a sweet poem and it's full of interesting enjambments. She puts one image or thought into your mind at the end of a line, and then changes it or adds to it in the next line. There's something fun about reading an enjambment done well.

 New Road Station, by Tracy K. Smith

This poem was interesting to me first because of the visuals. "it moves like a woman/ corralling her children onto a crowded bus." Great visual and a compelling enjambment. My second reason for liking this poem is the sudden shift at the end. The first time I read it, the ending totally changed my line of thinking. At first I was visualizing a busy city with people hurrying onto buses, the last line yelled "war" in my mind. Then I read it again and saw all that I had been missing. It was not just a busy city, it was a frantic crowd. It was women trying to get their children to safety. I love being surprised by deeper meanings poems.


Kayla Santos