Confused Success

In the book 180 More Extraordinary Poems for Every Day by Billy Collins, a poem has captured my attention because of its repetitive words and sentences. The poem "Denial" by David Lehman, is about how the author denies the hangover he is experiencing. I do not understand the intentions behind the author’s reason to write this poem because it is confusing and exaggerated.

The poem “Denial” was written using the same words, but in many different ways. I think that the author wants the readers try to imagine how he feels a day after he drank a lot. The author says, “I am not hungover” (1). He cannot forget the experience of discomfort and sickness he feels when he drinks. He also pays emphasis on repetition because he does not want to repeat the same experience. By pretending he is not feeling hung over; he probably starts believing he is not hung over the longer he is in denial. He starts to believe his own lies. He may also want to remind himself that he is hung over so that he can say he is better than that.

I think that the poet exaggerates in the poem because he feels confused while he writes it. He wants to demonstrate to himself that he is not so sure about his hung over state because he does not how many beverages he ingested to put him in that way. Too, he is as any other drunk that know they drink a lot, but they pretend that nothing is happening. They say that they are right and that they can do many things that they should not. Many times when people are drunk, they behave stubbornly and talk a little too much.

The author creates the poem as a past time because he wants to write all the ways he can say the same thing in different syntax. He probably does this more so because he is trying to change the reality by saying the opposite of what he is really experiencing. When he does not admit he is hung over, he feels he is in control of his situation to lessen the feeling of being hung over because perception is reality.

The author wants to create something different than the conventional. This poem says a lot about his personality because he wants to be unique and spontaneous. He wants to be remembered for creating something different. The author also wants to capture the readers’ attention, and he gets it because his creation is unusual. He is not worried for other people criticizing his art. He might not sound like a professional poet, but he does not care. He is trying to connect with the audience even if it is controversial. He is being more human and easy to relate since his audience probably have experienced being hung over or have been in denial of the consequences of their actions.

I do not know why the author wrote the poem, but I think that he should have written more instead of being repetitive to the point where he begins to confuse me. He could have specified he was talking to a significant other, trying to behave as if he is not hung over. Maybe it was the first time in a long time in his life that he is actually not hung over and he is incredulous and proud of his accomplishment.

Painting Slowly

"Painting a Room" by Irina Kendall and "Slowly" by Donna Masini, are two poems that show readers the importance of changing their life to a positive attitude. The poem Painting a Room is about a person who is painting and getting rid of all her stuff and fears that have beset her for a long time, and she begins to change and feel free. Slowly is about a snake that is eating a rabbit slowly while the author sees everything. Apparently, both poems are different, but they have many similarities such as time, pain, and changes.

The first poem, "Painting A Room," states the time as a reference to past events that will lead the poet to her liberty. She is painting a room and getting rid of her old stuff. When she writes that it is because she thinks that doing so, she will be free and relieved of something that she carries. “All my furniture has been sold, or given away to bohemian friends (lines 4, 5).” It could suggest that the poet is trying to eliminate her sins and bad behavior that have consumed her for many years.

Second, the poet feels pain for something that persecutes her. The poet says, “I am free from regrets but not from pain” (line 13). The author feels sad and melancholy because it is not easy to escape from the past situations and guilt that she has been carrying during many years. Also, she is going to leave her apartment, belongings, and life for an uncertain future. The brush is used by the author representing an emotional inquietude because her heart throbs when she holds it.

Third, the poet starts experiencing changes. The author makes a reference to “Ten years of fears, unrequited loves, odd jobs, of night of phone calls. Now they’ve disconnected the line” (line 14, 15). Something important happens in her life that makes her realize that she has to see life in a different way. Now, she perceives things that she did not before. The poet decides to change and start a new life, changing and leaving everything negative to keep only good things.

The second poem "Slowly" uses time to make us see how time consumes the author. The poet remembers when she was in fourth grade and she went to the zoo. There, she saw a snake which was eating a rabbit slowly. The snake symbolizes a biblical reference to sins. The author sees how her sins are consuming her as slowly as the snake consumes the rabbit.

Next, the poet experiences pain as time progresses. The poet describes when the snake was eating the rabbit and the rabbit did not move or fight for its life. The author realizes that, “taking this in, slowly, taking it into my body: this grief” (lines 23, 24).It means that life progresses and stops for nobody and we do not feel ourselves slowly dying. She also realizes that as the rabbit, she did not do enough things in her life that she could have done and now realizes she does not have enough time to do them.

Additionally, the author thinks of the change. The poet realizes that time will never be back once it is gone. She knows that she can try to change now and begin a new life since she cannot change the past, but she can change the course of her future. 

Even though on the surface "Painting a Room" and "Slowly," are poems that seem very different, but they have many similarities. Both of them talk about time and how the poet wants to get rid of old things that will lead her to reach her freedom. Even with pain, she wants to change and become a better person. On the other hand, in the other poem, the author notices the time that consumes her slowly. She also feels pain because she has not accomplished all that she wants. She feels that it is late, but she knows that she can change and begins a new life because she cannot turn back time.

The Wedding Ring Poem

The poem "Wedding Ring" by Lynne McMahon is a poem that interested me because I thought it was a love story, but when I read it, I noticed that it was about a ring that was found by one person. The poem does not specify who found the ring, but I infer by the details that it was probably the author’s boyfriend or friend who found it and gave it to her. This poem also mentions Ireland and France. I do not know why the author mentions both of these countries; maybe she is from Ireland and lives in France or she is visiting one place or the other. Also, it seems as she does not know the culture because she is trying to remember the ring's specific name given by the Irish culture apparently, but I do not know if the poet is asking another person, or if she is asking herself that question in order to remember. Apparently, the ring is part of the Irish culture because it has specific name and characteristic known to be a ring given to a loved one.

I infer that the poem explains something about culture. When the poet writes, "by borrowed themes," line 20; it is because she does not understand or does not like the culture, but it is something significant to the people of that place. The author is also analyzing how the ring ended up between the cushions in the restaurant. How could a person forget something so important because that ring is something very special; it symbolizes love, it is to be given to a loved one. If a person buys that ring, it is because that person is going to find a way to deliver it to his loved one, not lose it in a cheap diner. It is hard to believe how a sentimental and material piece has been forgotten so easily because the person who lost it could have tried to recover it.

One thing the narrator does not explain is who gave her the ring. It could be her boyfriend, her friend, or parents, and the reasons why that person gave the writer the ring is also unknown. You could assume that if her boyfriend gave her the ring is may be because he wants to marry her or he loves her. If it was not him, why did that person not keep it for him or herself as a keepsake? Another thing is that the poet does not know who the ring belongs to, and does not specify what the person who found the ring was doing there in the first place. I do not understand when the poet writes “a momentary recognition that trash sent bowling dawn the street by sudden wind,” in line 13, 14, and 15. What is the meaning of the reference to the trash carried by the wind in the poem?

The narrator leaves out so much information and I cannot understand the poem. She does not give more information about this ring. It seems like she is in love with the idea of receiving a wedding ring. I do not know why the ring is important to her; I just know it is because otherwise why would she write a poem of that if it was not? It has to have a meaning, but she does not explain it. For me it is confusing to understand this poem because nothing in the poem helps me understand the importance of this ring, the poem is too vague as if she were trying to explain the importance of the ring but holds back, keeping it a secret only she knows.

Stitches: David's Memories

The book Stitches: A Memoir by David Small, is a sad book about a kid who has to deal with a family that never give him love and protection. His mother is a frustrated woman named Betty that never pays attention to her children. Ed, David's father, is always working and barely is at home, David's brother, Ted, is always playing the drums. David wants to have attention and love, but those seem impossible.Through imagination and dreams, David tries to cope with unfulfilled desires and unmet needs.

One thing that got my attention was how David expresses his imagination. One time he went to the hospital where his father works. David's mother told him that he could play, but not with the wheelchairs or close to the elevator. He deliberately disobeys her orders. He playes with the wheelchairs and uses the elevator. He goes to the fourth floor, a place where he has never gone, and he sees a fetus in a bottle. Suddenly, it transforms into a little man and follows David, who runs to where his mother was. This imagination symbolizes the fear that most children have because they are afraid to the unknown. He does not know what that strange little man is. Also nobody is working in that place and he is alone. That makes him create all kinds of crazy things in his imagination. In addition, he knows that he is doing something wrong because he disobeys his mother; he knows that he can be in trouble.

David loves the book Alice in Wonderland because it reflects all that he wants to have. He likes the rabbit that digs a hole, and the magic of Alice's hair that allows her to be in the land of talking animals as well as her interaction with characters who could be his friends, singing flowers, and the dancing teapot. Everything is symbolic because the hole is David's house because it is dark and silent place, and the other land is the place where he wants to go; a place with many happy people gathering, talking, and having fun.

My attention was captured when I saw the way David's mother acts. She is selfish and careless with her sons. She also acts as if she is against everything David does. On one occasion, she has a party in her house, and one of her friends discovers a growth in David's neck. David's mother does not worry for him. Instead, she makes comments about how David ruined the party because of his growth. I cannot understand how a mother, that is symbol of love, patient, and dedication to her children, is not concerned for her son's health. A mother always wants the best for her children. When there is something happening that is serious, a normal reaction is to worry, and trying to find help immediately, but she seems more worried about money than in her own son.

David had two surgeries in his neck because he had cancer. While he goes home after his surgery, David wants to see his neck. He is surprised of how big it is. Then, he goes to sleep and has a nightmare. It is about  a bat that is scared because he is under a thunderstorm. He is looking desperately for his mother's protection. He sees an umbrella and runs to hug it as if it was his mom. Then, he tries to open it, but when he does, he finds it is broken, so he continues without protection under the rain.This dream represents his need to feel safe under his mother care.The umbrella represents protections that he is looking for, but when it is broken, is that this protection does not exist, so he continues unprotected.

I enjoyed reading the book because it makes empathize with his feelings. I was also sad for him because he suffers a lot during his childhood. It is not easy to cope with a similar situation because all children want to have the love and protection of their families. David was only trying to find his mother's love, but he could not obtain. Even though, his imagination helps him deal with it, love cannot be replaced by anything and much less when it is a mother's love.