Nude Descending a Staircase poem response

I read this poem over a couple of times and I don't really understand what is going on. When the poem mentions a snowing flesh, I image that the woman's (that is is identified towards the end of the poem) skin is pale, like Snow White. Then when she is out in the sunlight she gets a golden tan. I know that may not be what X.J. Kennedy had in mind, but that is the image that came to me. Then when it goes 'We spy beneath the banister' then I imagine that there must be a group of boys spying this woman and watching her beauty, and noticing her lips to her thighs. If I had to guess what type of poem this was, I would say that it is a poem that is lust desire, coming from the boys that are spying beneath the banister.

I guess not all poems has to have a conclusion, but (to me) I feel that some more description about the nude woman on the staircase wouldn't hurt. The imagine next to the poem made me more confused as I was when reading the poem. I can see the use of the gold color in this painting and the show of a staircase, but I don't see any form of a woman. All I see is shapes and angels, which relates back to the stairs. Overall not one of my favorite poems.

Edward Hopper and the House by the Railroad Poem Response

What I did this time when reading this poem. I made sure to not keep looking at the image next to the poem, just to make sure that I don't focus to much on finding the similar things from the picture to the poem.

This poem was interesting. It was not a list poem, and it did not rhyme, it told this story of this empty house that seems to bring fear to both people and nature. It is like Edward Hirsh (the writer of this poem) was talking about some characteristic of this house, and making it sound like a real haunted house. In making this house seem haunted, Hirsh did not have to add any ghost or make it sound like a Halloween story of a haunted house. What I like about this poem was when it went into detail about the house, how no one has lived in it, and no trees or shrubs grow around it. Everything is in distance of this house, and to me that makes it the house seem haunted or that there is more to this house than meets the eye. And anyone that enters in the house will never be seen again.

The picture of the house, does look spooky, with its heavy dark shadow on the front side of the house and when you look at the windows, the ones that are open show nothing but black darkness inside. There is no clouds, trees, or grass, just the railroad. I wonder why Hirsh would have in the title and in the picture a railroad, I don't remember anything in the poem that talks enough about the railroad. Like why is this house placed near there? I would like to have more info about the railroad in this poem, but other than that, I enjoyed this poem.

Where is she?

   

Reflecting wall before my eyes

Reveal to me no lie

Did the child in me die

Woman before me

Return the me, I use to be.

(list poem)

Mirror, Mirror who is she, staring back at me

Mirror, Mirror why she looks like me

Mirror, Mirror through the glass you mimic me

Mirror, Mirror you show what I am suppose to be

Mirror, Mirror you show what others expect to see

Mirror, Mirror there is something you do not see

Mirror, Mirror is the girl inside wanting to be free

Mirror, Mirror bring back the girl I use to be

A Hand poem response

This poem was interesting, and different than the last couple poems I have read so far. This is a short poem and I don't see it needing anything more to add on to it. After reading the poem, what came to my mind was the surrealist painting of a pipe that says in french "I'm not a pipe." How that is similar to this poem is that in this poem, it talks about in a descriptive way of writing of what the hand is not. But all the information that is shown in the poem is what hands do.

When looking at the Michaelangelo's close up on the hands of his Sistine Chapel, I thought that the poem might something relating to that or something with that kind of deep meaning. I know that when I look at these painting next to the poem, I always think that it is going to be related to that in every detail. I guess I am so use  to seeing that in books, mostly children's book (especially since I am working on my own children's book and making sure the image goes with the words). I have to remember that images don't have to be the exactly as it is written out.

The Naked Girl and the Mirror Response

When I first looked at this poem and notice the painting next to it. The image did match up to the title of the poem, the poem on the other hand; I didn't really get what was going on. It was only till when I got to the end of the poem that made me guess on who was talking in this poem. 

At first I thought it was going to be the naked woman talking about her youth fading away in the mirror (don't know why she would need to be naked for that). Or this poem could relate to one of the seven deadly sins, like Lust or Pride. I think that would be an interesting poem. Instead from what I gather from this poem was that all this is coming from the mirrors perspective. That is how I see it, and read it, because it did not sound like all this was coming from her. But I still don't really get what the poem is saying. 

The painting next to it is interesting. And if this was a poem about aging and time passing by before you, then this would be a good painting to show that. From the lines on the naked body, they can represent the aging body.  

The Road Not Taken- Robert Frost

 

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This is what came to my mind when listening to the audio of Robert Frost's poem, 'The Road Not Taken.' The things that I thought to be symbolic was the two different path's and I really like how he described the tree's to be golden color. So, I wanted to include those golden trees and the two paths to choose from. On the left side the path is darker and might be the road that is not taken my most traveler's. While the other path seems to be brighter and to be the most common path to go through. 

The Cuban Doctor response

The Cuban Doctor by Wallace Stevens isn't a long poem, personally i like it when poems don't drag on. But in some cases, i do wish that more could be added to this poem. I kinda gets this poem, but then the other half is confused. Again the image that goes with the poem is there to help. This is another thing that I have mention in (I think) my journal last week, that if some kind of image was not there, then the poem might not have work (for those that are visual learners anyway).

From looking at the illustration and reading the poems along with it. My guess is that the indian is (as they have mentioned) a Phantom that is haunting this man. I knew that this Indian had to be some kind of spirit. One because they believe in spirits and two for the fact that he is flying like Peter Pan over the ship.
And like what phantoms are known for, their presence still follows the person they are seeking. As a haunting reminder of some horrible thing that this man must have done.
But then I get really confused at the last panel where the sleeping man from the middle panel. That was resting on a sofa, has been turned into a giant sand version of himself.

So over all I do like the concept of a phantom and his observing of this happy and care free man on his sofa. but I just don't understand that last panel and the ending part of this poem. I would have like this poem to continue with the indian haunting this man in his phantom ways. That would be an interesting poem.

The Jungle response

The poem The Jungle is not one of my favorites so far (still have lots more poems to read before making a list of ones I like and dislike). Unlike the other poems where it told a story, with or without an image. For me, this poem seemed like they were forcing to used the image of the jungle and make some poem up that went along with it. I know this sounds very similar to how my critique went on my Trust poem, so if that was what Robert Kelly's thought process on making a poem. Then I guess I should be the one to point fingers at how to write a poem, when even I am still learning how to write from the heart.

Looking at the painting, the pose of the woman looks familiar. It looks like the painting The Creation of Adam. The naked woman is reacting out to the flowers and also pointing out where animals of the jungle are. The image has interesting style and colors, it is just the poem that I don't see the connection or see any story in my head as I read this poem.

The Street response

While looking at the illustration, I was trying to figure out who was the main focus of the poem going to be. but there was too much going on in the picture. Then when reading the poem, it was exactly how the illustration is. Moving from one person to another, watching them go about there day and not be disturbed by other on the street, just a normal day for these people.  This poem is also a great example of city streets like New York City. Everyone going about their day, not paying attention to others beside, in front or behind them. Just concern with what they have to do

This poem isn’t a rhyming poem, but it does have a pattern. With each paragraph starts with one person on the street and tells the readers what they are doing. Then it concludes with them and another paragraph starts with a new person on the street. I think that if this poem didn't have the illustration next to it, it would be confusing for the reader. But I think that people might read this poem as a busy day in a city or town. I am glad that the illustration was there, when I read the next paragraph, I would look back at the illustration and find the person I am reading about.
After reading this poem, it made me re-think about writing poems. I know that not all poems are meant to rhyme. But also how poems have a different format/ pattern in telling the story. Also in how the poem is being told. Like this poems was told as an observation of the people, not by the people themselves. 

What Do Women Want Poem response

What caught my attention about this poem was the painting next to it. The woman wearing a red dress and her posture says something else is going on with her, and that the poem might have the answer.  It looks like she is either sad, or turning her back away from her problems or hiding some secret (maybe that she stole the red dress).  A lot of ideas can go this picture, one of my first ideas of what this poem was going to be about some kind of passion and romance type of poems.

But after reading the poem, it was something completely different from my idea. And even though it was not what I was expecting, I still like it. I guess in a way there is some passion and desire in this poem. Mostly from the woman that is describing how badly she wants the dress. Further on in the poem’s story, little pieces unfold about what type of person she is and where she is from. She is a woman from town, and she wants to wear this dress, and be someone else, even if it is someone that no one expects her to be. And that she is not wealthy but she will treasure the dress for as long as she lives. 
I think the image does relate to the poem. The way she is holding herself, wearing the red dress, shows that she is not going to give up this dress. And it also adds emotion to both the image and the poem. After reading the poem and looking back to the illustration, I can see that the images works for the poem. There could be other illustration that could go with this poem. But as i mention before, this illustration has that feeling of desire and it is expressed in the poem.
What I like about the poem is how it shows the desire of wanting something so badly. It is easy to relate to of that wanting something and never letting it go. From this poem, and what I like to see in poems is that they not only tell a story. But also carry some emotion/ meaning to it.

Trust

Trust

Secrets are not for everyone.

Only one can be trusted

Guard it, keep it safe, hold the key.

Carry this weight around you, with

Lips sealed, look away from mistrusting eyes.

Let the winding hands of time pass by

Changing and aging life.

The longer time proceeds,

the longer the secret is hidden behind the lock.

Let the age of time knock at my door

Allow the earth to grow, reaching higher.

What lies behind the door and its lock?

Those secrets will never be tainted or spoiled

That, you can Trust.