DDCPoetry

Original poem reprinted online here: "Women Like Me" by Wendy Rose Originally read: May 22, 2013 More information about the Poet: Wendy Rose Usually, I have an apprehension to defining poems about the self.  The poems that ultimately go "I am a man, a firefighter, a husband, a cactus, a dog, I am a proud man."  "Women Like Me" is not one of these poems.  It's a definition of the self poem of course, but the style of the poem, the continuous barrage of rhetorical questions does not lead to confidence of one self, rather the deconstruction (and knowledge) of one self into generic terminology and pieces. The first part of the poem has the title blend into the poem "making promises they can't keep."  Already with the negative connotation there's something amiss -- what are the promises? In this first part the question isn't explored; however what is explored is the image of the Grandmother who has, "invading burr and thistle from...

Original poem reprinted online here: "What Followed Your Birth" by Hal Sirowitz Originally read: May 23, 2013 More information about the Poet: Hal Sirowitz I think this is a part of Father Said .  I bring up the collection because there's a strong observation of tone and presence from the father in this poem.  What drives this poem further is not only the father, but what the speaker is remember -- what words and combinations impact the speaker who remains silent in this poem. The poem opens up with a reference to the birthday, "You might not like being reminded /of your birthday, Father said, / but your mother & I do."  which brings confrontational elements.  Note how the speaker is just listening and is the focal point, but what version of the speaker.  There is no indication of the current age of the speaker.  Also note that the father is also speaking on behalf of the mother as well. The poem describes the speakers birth as a"happy occasion" an...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Indian Stream Republic" by Stephen Burt Originally read: May 19, 2013 More information about the Poet: Stephen Burt This poem, in tercets, opens up with a very sentimental thought, "No one should be this alone--" which is a huge risk because I as a reader am searching (and dismissing) the emotional pull of the piece which may or may not go well.  However, rereading this poem, this is the only place where the poem is sentimental and serves like the conclusion of the poem.  What this poem does is goes from the current to the past in very formal language in order to earn the sentimental gambit stated in the beginning. The change on how to read the poem happens in the third line with the image of "prepotent verticals".  The mixture of choice diction and visuals refocuses the sentiment.  In the second stanza the scene changes to the "present" in which there's a hunting lodge and moose at this area. In stanza t...

Original poem reprinted online here: "News from Harlem" by Kwame Dawes Originally read: May 19, 2013 More information about the Poet: Kwame Dawes This poem plays with the definition of a man from race mentality to group mentality, and through all the definition the poem weaves in history and vernacular.  Furthermore, by the title, "News from Harlem" there's already a racial slant in which the speaker states. So I'm going to list the various types of men from the first ten referenced of the poem and discuss how the definition shifts and changes through context: 1) African man 2) Black men 3) those men 4) a man 5) knife men 6) cutlass men 7) roots men 8) Congo men 9) yellow eyed quiet man 10) white man The lines open up with the focus on lineage -- African man which brings a sense of heritage to the poem with the unbecoming description of "fat-faced."  And so there's the tension of what people and speaker sees an African Man through language and ...

Original poem reprinted online here: "Canticle of Clouds" by Jennifer Atkinson Originally read: May 18, 2013 More information about the Poet: Jennifer Atkinson When I first read this poem, I didn't look up any of the terms and tried to go at this poem as is.  Past me wrote this overarching idea about the poem, "fragmentation of emotions, memories, interpretation brought together by simple placement of punctuation." I remember focusing on one thing in this poem and that's the usage of the semi-colon as a separating and connecting device.  But now I should look up all the terms that I don't know...there are many. Canticle .  Well, yes, then.  The form of a repeated structure "name -- (interpretation) description [how things anaphora] ; description (interpretation)" reads similarly to a hymn. Yet there's the lack of musicality, and a sort of religious reverence is in it's place instead. Stratus.   Well the image sort of fits the interpreta...