Before She Died

This poem is about a loved one supposedly telling a deceased loved one about the beautiful nature and beauty of the Earth. Its a beautiful poem that adequetly describes the aweing work of mother nature.

When I look at the sky now, I look at it for you.
As if with enough attention, I could take it in for you.

With all the leaves gone almost from
the trees, I did not walk briskly through the field.

Late today with my dog Wool, I lay down in the upper field,
he panting and aged, me looking at the blue. Leaning

on him, I wondered how finite these lustered days seem
to you, A stand of hemlock across the lake catches

my eye. It will take a long time to know how it is
for you. Like a dog's lifetime -- long -- multiplied by sevens.

—Karen Chase

Border Lines

This poem encourages us to see our differences as something that connects us as people and makes us humans in the human race connected by the fact that we are all different and have different views, physical appearances, opinions on controversial topics, and very diverse backgrounds. This poem emphasizes that fact that we all need ti embrace our differences because it becomes part of who we are and shapes our past, present, and future.

Border Lines                                    A weight carried by two Weighs only half as much. The world on a map looks like the drawing of a cow In a butcher’s shop, all those lines showing Where to cut. That drawing of the cow is also a jigsaw puzzle, Showing just as much how very well All the strange parts fit together. Which way we look at the drawing Makes all the difference. We seem to live in a world of maps: But in truth we live in a world made Not of paper and ink but of people. Those lines are our lives.  Together, Let us turn the map until we see clearly: The border is what joins us, Not what separates us.

Legal Alien

Legal Alien is a play on words because the term Illegal Alien means illegal immigrant. So an inference that I have before I read this poem is that the piece is about someone being accused of being an illegal immigrant but is really just as legal as everyone else in America. This poem teaches us not to judge people and to not see or take into account people’s race when we talk to them. Being african, mexican, european, or asian, or american, none if it matters.

Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural,
able to slip from “How’s life?”
to “Me’stan volviendo loca,”
able to sit in a paneled office
drafting memos in smooth English,
able to order in fluent Spanish
at a Mexican restaurant,
American but hyphenated,
viewed by Anglos as perhaps exotic,
perhaps inferior, definitely different,
viewed by Mexicans as alien,
(their eyes say, “You may speak
Spanish but you’re not like me”)
an American to Mexicans
a Mexican to Americans
a handy token
sliding back and forth
between the fringes of both worlds
by smiling
by masking the discomfort
of being pre-judged
Bi-laterally.

Tour

What is going on in this poem? What does swept the path mean?

Tour
Near a shrine in Japan he'd swept the path
and then placed camellia blossoms there.

Or — we had no way of knowing — he'd swept the path
between fallen camellias.

—Carol Snow

Remora, Remora

An important thing to note is that a Remora is a large fish that attaches its mouth to the head of a large animal and sucks off the parasites from its head.  This poem is about calling people names and comparing bullies and people that call other people names to a sucker shark that sucks out the happiness of others and slowly kills itself. Overall, this poem has a lot of metaphors and similies which tend to kind of hide the message of the poem.

Clinging to the shark
is a sucker shark,
attached to which
and feeding off its crumbs
is one still tinier, 
inch or two,
and on top of that one,
one the size of a nick of gauze;
smaller and smaller
(moron, idiot, imbecile, nincompoop)
until on top of that
is the last, a microdot sucker shark,
a filament’s tip – with a heartbeat – sliced off,
and the great sea
all around feeding
his host and thus him.
He’s too small
to be eaten himself
(though some things swim
with open mouths) so
he just rides along in the blue current, 
the invisible point of the pyramid,
the top beneath all else.

—Thomas Lux

Wheels

This poem tells the story of a man and his family over time. The different imagery painted with different cars shows the development of the protagonist over time. He shows his growth and maturity as his cars get nicer and he has major, key developments in his life. t

My brother kept
in a frame on the wall
pictures of every motorcycle, car, truck:
in his rusted out Impala convertible
wearing his cap and gown
waving
in his yellow Barracuda
with a girl leaning into him
waving
on his Honda 350
waving
on his Honda 750 with the boys
holding a beer
waving
in his first rig
wearing a baseball hat backwards
waving
in his Mercury Montego
getting married
waving
in his black LTD
trying to sell real estate
waving
back to driving trucks
a shiny new rig
waving
on his Harley Sportster
with his wife on the back
waving
his son in a car seat
with his own steering wheel
my brother leaning over him
in an old Ford pickup
and they are
waving
holding a wrench a rag
a hose a shammy
waving.

My brother helmetless
rides off on his Harley
waving
my brother's feet
rarely touch the ground-
waving waving
face pressed to the wind
no camera to save him.

—Jim Daniel

Dorie Off To Atlanta

I think this poem shows Dorie on a phone call, but fails to show Jen’s dialogue.

Dorie Off To Atlanta

Jen? Hi, it’s Dorie. I’m on the bus to LaGuardia. … Atlanta.
What? … Maybe. I’m not really sure. I mean his schedule is so
     whacked,
y’know? … But anyway. I was telling you about Marcie. Yeah.
     So
I said to her, I said, Marcie, this one seems different, y’know?
I said the last few guys you’ve dated–from what you’ve told
     me– 
I mean frankly– … Yeah. I said, Marcie, they might be
like very charming, y’know, and with great jobs, but frankly–
what it comes down to is, Let’s hit the bed,
and in the morning, Thanks for the excellent coffee. Y’know?
But this guy– … What? It’s Jason. Yeah.
So I said Marcie, from what you’ve said, Jason sounds
     different–
and from what Bob said about him also. … Bob knows him 
from some project last fall. So I said Marcie, you’ve had, what,
two coffees, two lunches, and a dinner, and he still hasn’t– …
No, Bob says he’s definitely straight. …
I think there was a divorce like six years ago or something. But
     my–
What? … That’s right, yeah, I did. At Nathan’s party after some
     show …
Yeah, “The Duchess of Malfi,” I forgot I told you. What? …
Only for five minutes–one cigarette, y’know? … Kind of low-
     Key,
like thoughtful. But my point is– … Yeah, exactly! So I said,
Marcie, this is a guy who understands, y’know,
that bed is like part of something, y’know?
Like it’s not the big objective for godsake. It’s like an aspect–
What? … Exactly–it’s an expression of something much more–
Yes!–it’s like, Can we be companions in life, y’know?
So I said, Marcie, for godsake–if you don’t give this guy
like a serious chance, somebody else–y’know? … Right, 
I mean let’s face it– … Jen? I’m losing you here–am I breaking
     up?
Jen, I’ll call you from the airport–Okay bye.

—Mark Halliday

I am Offering this Poem

 

I am offering this poem to you,

since I have nothing else to give.

Keep it like a warm coat

when winter comes to cover you,

or like a pair of thick socks

the cold cannot bite through,

                         I love you,

I have nothing else to give you,

so it is a pot full of yellow corn

to warm your belly in winter,

it is a scarf for your head, to wear

over your hair, to tie up around your face,

                         I love you,

Keep it, treasure this as you would

if you were lost, needing direction,

in the wilderness life becomes when mature;

and in the corner of your drawer,

tucked away like a cabin or hogan

in dense trees, come knocking,

and I will answer, give you directions,

and let you warm yourself by this fire,

rest by this fire, and make you feel safe

                         I love you,

It’s all I have to give,

and all anyone needs to live,

and to go on living inside,

when the world outside

no longer cares if you live or die;

remember,

                         I love you.