Response to "My Father's Waltz"

My Father's Waltz was a very sad poem. Under many layers, the author admitted that his father was a drunk and abused him. Whether it was about a specific time or his whole childhood, he makes the reader feel the pain of his father's belt buckle and "hand caked with dirt."

What is most interesting about the poem is how the author says it so casually. He explains the hand as keeping time and the belt buckle from slipping. It is as if he was abused on a regular basis and began to think of it as normal life.

That is a scary thought; being abused could be his normal life. Each day waking up, eating, and being abused as his mother nonchalantly looks on. Talking about the mother, I wonder what exactly she is doing and thinking while her husband drunkenly hits their son. Is she helpless, or could she have made the husband stop? Maybe she is scared for her own safety, but would sacrifice that of her son's.

This poem shows a life that I could never imagine having, yet the author lived it and was brave enough to share it with us. I admire his bravery in this situation, in his life!

Narrative Poem

A beautiful day, I think to myself
The sun and the heat will surely be out
I run to  the window that's under my shelf
And look for the sun that will defiantly be about

But there it is
The wind and the rain
And there goes my bliss
Oh, such pain

All I wanted was a day to play
Amongst the beautiful summer air
Now on my mattress I shall lay
While I contemplate this unfair

I guess I will go out anyway
Into the wind that's harsh and cold
I don't care what they'll say
I just am so bold

Poem on an Incident

                                                    just a young tree
                                              living happily in the world
                                          in its few years budding, blooming
                                           turning red in the fall and going
                                            on its path of simple, simple life
                                                one day a stranger came
                                                walking down the street
                                                        he smiled
                                                                       and yanked on me
                                                           just a
                                                        poor tree
                                                       strong, now
                                                           with a
                                                           broken
                                                           branch
                                                         a broken
                                                         limb, the
                                                        pain of one
                                                      person's pull

Reflection on Starry Night

Starry Night by Anne Sexton is a very interesting poem. It takes a painting that many think of as pretty and turns it into something creepy. It turns into death and monstrous thoughts; a battle within ones self. 

This poem shows that things can be seen from different perspectives based on the person's personality. If they are generally unhappy they will see the dark colors and notice how they compliment the painting. A generally happier person will notice the stars and how they compliment the painting.

Like the painting, the poem has many layers and many feelings within. They can be interpreted in many different ways. It just depends on the person and their view of the world. They just need to look carefully and extract what they can connect to. Each poem/painting is multiple opinions.

Poem On "Heat"

A still air drowning me
A heat covering me
Rubbing close
Covering me in a captive's
bond
No way to move
No way to resist

It was best not to try
To let it do what it came  for
Then pass
To wait for the cool wind to save me.

Until then
I will
Brace the
Heat

Analyzing Paintings- Heat by: Florine Stetteimer

The painting "Heat" uses colors to show the feeling. Though heat cannot be felt the colors used are colors that are thought of as "hot." Orange and red make me thing of fire- which is hot. The pale colors of the womens' dresses are colors that make me think of being tired and that's how many people feel at the heat of the day.

The positions of the women also show heat. They look relaxed and like they don't want to move anytime soon. The woman in the red armchair looks like she was knitting, but stopped because it got too hot.

Where the orange turns lighter is most-likely where it is most sunny. No one is in those spots. The women are on the edges.

All of the details in this painting show that this painting depicts an uncomfortable heat.


Heat- http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/1165/Heat