Poetry Anthology

By: Michelle Peng 9.3

Poetry Anthology Poems: I am That I am -Louis MacNeice Entirely -Louis MacNeice Immortality -Lisel Mueller When I Rise Up -Georgia Douglas Johnson Lost Boy -Ruth B Where I’m From -Michelle Peng Slowly -Michelle Peng Wish -Michelle Peng Christmas Eva -Michelle Peng Power -Michelle Peng

I am That I am I chose “I Am That I Am” because I thought it was interesting how he mentioned the “man is man, woman, women, and tree tree, and world world” which I found very powerful when I first read it. I also found it connected to society right now and how they change people into things that are not people, which intrigued me towards this poem instead of another.

The author (Louis MacNeice) seems to have an opinion about society or how people can pretend or change into something they aren’t. Which is part of the second verse which is very powerful as it mentions, “Which when caught between the beginning and the end, Turn other than themselves, their entities unfurled, flapping and overlapping—a tree becomes a talking tower and a woman becomes world”. This verse means that people change and become different then themselves, their independent existence or their identity becomes covered by something else, like the “woman becomes world.”

Where I thought oh how the women were the main focus of the world, their bodies, how they’re shaped, and just in general how they literally became the world. Instead of something like helping other people or “kindness became world” we focus on women becoming the world. The next verse changes this all, “Catch them in nets, but either the thread is thin, or the mesh too big, or thirdly the fish die and man from false communion dwindles back to a mere man under the sky”. I think this changed the meaning in the second paragraph because it says, “And man from false communion dwindles back to the mere man under the sky” meaning that the false always comes back and the man is just like another man under the sky. Where his thoughts aren’t clouded by false intimate thoughts or feelings shared amongst him and others, pushing against the last verse of the second paragraph “women became world”. Basically describing that the man no longer takes women as his world but his false thoughts are no longer existent. The last verse I feel is the most important and seems to talk about rape, it says, “But dream was dream, and love was love, and what happened, happened—even if the judge said it should have been otherwise—and glitter glitters and I am I although dead are dead.” I think that when he says, “What happened, happened” he meant that you can’t change something that happened, when women become the world and mens false communion takes over bad things can happen and nothing can change what has happened they can only change what might happen. To add onto that, “And I am I the dead are dead” almost seems like the person in the poem is dead and you can’t change it to further his point in you can’t change what has already happened.

I think that the theme is you can’t change what has happened, but you can change what might happen, and it tells us how many people have experienced things they shouldn’t have. I think this connects to identity because in the second verse when it mentions entities unfurled it is explaining a change in the identity of the man he talks about. He talks about how the man can pretend to change his view but sometimes intentions never change. It tells me that this mans view of the world changed over time from women as women to women become world all the way to where he is just another mere man standing under the sky. Unfortunately you can’t deny that what has happened has happened.

I am That I am

By: Louis MacNeice

In the beginning and in the end the only decent definition is tautology: man is man, woman woman, and tree tree, and world world, slippery self-contained; catch as catch can.

Which when caught between the beginning and the end. Turn other than themselves, their entities unfurled, flapping and overlapping — a tree becomes a talking tower, and a woman becomes world Catch them in nets, but either the thread is thin or the mesh too big or, thirdly, the fish die and the man from false communion dwindles back into a mere man under a mere sky.

But dream was dream and love was love and what happened happened — even if the judge said it should have been otherwise — and glitter glitters and I am I although the dead are dead.

Entirely

I chose this because I liked the format of the poem, the way they started off with, “If something were to be found entirely” and later showed us why we didn’t need “it” entirely. He also put great detail and specified words into the poem, which made it more powerful. I like the way he used metaphors like, “all we know is the splash of words in passing” making me want to read more.

Louis MacNiece made a very powerful poem. I think this is because in all three verses, he makes a big point and further makes it visible to the reader of why you cannot have something entirely, like happiness, or the “hang” of it, or even the color of the world or the people around you. I think that each verse is important as it proves

why, or it gives reason as to why we can’t have everything entirely, nothing will come entirely

and thats just how life is. I like how the

poem ends with, “But in Brute reality there is no road that is right entirely” meaning that no

roads are perfect, there will always be

bumps and curves in the road and thats just life. I think that not only does he say, you can’t

have it entirely, but you can’t expect

everything to just come to you, you have to work for it, you have to put effort into it. Nothing

is given to you, and even if you do get

something, you might not be entirely satisfied, you may feel something missing. I think thats

what he’s trying to communicate in this

poem. Something will always feel like it’s missing, just because you can’t have it entirely

doesn’t mean you

need to push the amount you have away. If you do have something you want to achieve

entirely, you may not

first get the “hang” of it, you may miss one piece when going through the puzzle so quickly.

Experience of

different things will come differently to each and every person.

I think the theme is

that nothing will come to you entirely, that nothing is perfect and that, thats how life is, and

thats how life will go

on. I think it says something really important about identity, it seems to guide us towards the

fact that each person

will experience love, peace, and life differently and that you have to go on with life. Some things

will never go the way

you want it to, but you have to persevere through it. He seemingly made this poem through

experience, as if he

went through it himself, which tells me he must’ve experienced a hard time in his life, where he

pushed through all the

factors he listed, or even more.

Entirely

By: Louis MacNeice

If we could get the hang of it entirely it would take too long; All we know is the splash of words in passing and falling twigs of song, And when we try to eavesdrop on the great presences, it is rarely that by a stroke of luck we can appropriate even a phrase entirely.

If we could find our happiness entirely in somebody else’s arms. We should not fear the spears of the spring nor the city’s yammering fire alarms. But, as it is, the spears each year go through, our flesh and almost hourly bell or siren banishes the blue Eyes of Love entirely.

And if the world were black or white entirely and all the charts were plain. Instead of a mad weir of tigerish waters, a prism of delight and pain. We might be surer where we wished to go, Or again we might be merely bored, but in brute reality there is no road that is right entirely.

Immortality I chose this because during a soccer tournament my coach showed me something very powerful, Relentless by Tim Grover, I found this connected to this poem while scanning through it, which brought my interest to it. Not only that, but the thing that caught my eye was the way the author used Sleeping Beauty as a reference to the theme of the poem, a way to change the fairytale into something so different.

Reading this poem made me think of how fairytales are quite dreadful, for children they might be the best thing in the world but it gave me a new perspective of how other people see fairytales and stories. “As a child I had a book, with a picture of that scene. I was too young to notice how fear persists, and how the anger that causes fear persists, that its trajectory can’t be changed or broken, only interrupted.” I think this verse teaches people to have a different perspective of fairytales and all the “good” things in life when we were younger. “My attention was on the fly; that this slight body with its transparent wings and lifespan of one human day still craved its particular share of sweetness, a century later.” This verse caught my attention, it explained how even after centuries later the fly still wanted the same thing, like people. It tells us that people desire things, they desire things that they might have to wait for. I took this poem two ways, a happy way and a sad way, the poem is telling us to persevere, yet it also tells us about fear.

I think the theme is that it might take a long time for something you want to happen but sometimes waiting can help you persevere through that.

And not only that but things like fear and anger persist throughout the world, that some things can’t necessarily be changed, like the boys fear when being dragged from his ear. I think this all relates to identity of others because it shows how people don’t change their emotions even over years and years, you will still be afraid of heights, something that scares you might scare you forever and something that makes you sad will always be there. I think this relates to my identity because I’ve always been scared of things, always trying to face it but never having the guts to because that fear persists throughout, like my fear of going upside-down in roller coasters, when I was younger I went on one and ended up hating it and ever since I’ve been scared. I think this poem especially shows a side of the author, like how she notices how the fly still wants the same thing after so many years and focuses on one part of the story and scene in order to prove that your intentions push through even through the years. It also tells us about a happy identity, using the fly as an example once again, if you stay and persevere through the hard, you may end up getting what you wanted which some people are very good at. I find this is related to my identity especially through my soccer perspective. When listening to Tim Grovers Relentless, I learned about how there are three types of people, the Cooler, Closer, and Cleaner. Each one represents something different. A Cooler is someone who you give a job to and they will get it done, a Closer is someone whom you tell them to do a job and they will give it back to you with excellent results, a Cleaner on the other hand is someone who pushes themselves to achieve more even when their original goal was achieved. This relates to me because I aspire to be a Cleaner, which comes with perseverance. A Cleaner requires perseverance which relates to this poem, this poem tells me a story of persevering, pushing through to what I really desire and even when I get that I’ll want more and more.

Immortality By: Lisel Mueller In Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, the clock strikes one hundred years, and the girl in the tower returns to the world. So do the servants in the kitchen, who don’t even rub their eyes. The cook’s right hand, lifted an exact century ago completes its downward arc to the kitchen boy’s left ear; the boy’s tensed vocal cords finally let go, the trapped, enduring whimper, and the fly, arrested mid-plunge above the strawberry pie, fulfills its abiding mission and dives into the sweet, red glaze.

As a child I had a book with a picture of that scene. I was too young to notice how fear persists, and how the anger that causes fear persists, that its trajectory can’t be changed or broken, only interrupted. My attention was on the fly; that this slight body with its transparent wings and lifespan of one human day still craved its particular share of sweetness, a century later.

When I Rise Up

I chose this because as I read it, I thought it was interesting how she said she was rising above Earth, and yet she still looked back at the things that bothered her. It reminded me of myself and how I do that too, which I thought was interesting which is why I decided to keep reading.

In the poem she uses the phrase “When I rise up above the earth, And look down on the things that fetter me” meaning that WHEN she rises above the earth she will look down at the things that once chained her down, as if she is still chained down right now. When she says, “Tranquil lie” she means peace for herself and her soul, that she will finally be happy/live in peace instead of being eroded from the inside out. “Surge after surge of potent strength, Like incense comes to me” as if the strength is coming to her and like she’s going to use it to surge out of there and go to her peace. In the last line she decides to repeat the first two lines like it’s constantly on her mind, as if she’s jailed up and needs to get out.

I think the theme is that even when chained down, believe you can and that strength will come for you to do so. I think this relates to identity because I and so many other people feel chained to something, like they have to do it, for example, abusive relationships where one is abusive and makes the other stay even though it is against her/his will. It can also mean so much about other people and who they are as people, if they are the people that chain others up, or the people who are chained up. I think this also relates to my identity because sometimes I feel like I’m stuck to something, or I’m stuck on something or someone, and when that person or something leaves, it’s difficult, but sometimes it can be a relief.

When I Rise Up When I rise up above the earth, and look down on the things that fetter me, I beat my wings upon the air, or tranquil lie, surge after surge of potent strength like incense comes to me. When I rise up above the earth and look down upon the things that fetter me.

Lost Boys I chose this because I felt like I understood what Ruth felt when she was making this song, it almost seems to me that she tried to run away from reality and take off, in doing so she found something that made her feel belonged and I think thats just a feeling I have/wish I could better have and so I really found some interest in this as well as her reference to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.

She is using the reference of Peter Pan/telling her story using Peter Pan as a base for it. During this song she lists how “Run, run, lost boy, “ they say to me “Away from all of reality” almost as if she wanted to get away from all of reality, like most of the lost boys who actually are lost. Using this she referenced it towards how she felt lost like all these boys, when she went to Neverland and met Peter Pan she finally felt like she meant something to them and felt like she had a family for once. Before she went to Neverland she felt lonely, we know this because when Peter Pan firs went to her/him he said: “Peter Pan, that’s what they call me, I promise that you’ll never be lonely” almost as if saying that he was gonna be there for her even when she felt lonely and thats what he did, which is why she uses the verse that she feels at home for once “I realized I finally had a family” and “Neverland, I love you so, You are now my home sweet home, Forever a lost boy at last” almost like she accepting the fact that she/he is now a lost boy and has found his/her forever family, which In the movies can be shown as how protective the lost boys are of their home and love it.

I think the theme is that sometimes things may seem to fall apart but sometimes it may lead to better things, and this can be proven because the song lyrics are clearly telling the story of how she/he was lost at first and felt lonely, when she met Peter Pan she still felt somewhat lonely, and when he showed her to Neverland she finally felt happiness, or the feeling of love in her. The feeling of family and I think that just tells a big story for all the people who Amy feel lonely including myself, we all have our lonely moments and its just the person who can choose what comes out of it, thats what defines the true identity of someone. Like myself I always have a time when I feel lonely and thats just part of my identity, but how I push through that and what makes me push through that is what makes my identity special to me.

Lost Boys

By: Ruth B

There was a time when I was alone, Nowhere to go and no place to call home, My only friend was the man in the moon, And even sometimes he would go away too. Then one

night, as I closed my eyes, I saw a shadow flying high. He came to me with the sweetest

smile, Told me he wanted to

talk for a while, He said, “Peter Pan. That’s what they call me. I promise that you’ll

never be lonely.” And ever

since that day… I am a lost boy from Neverland Usually hanging out with Peter Pan

And when we’re bored we play

in the woods, Always on the run from Captain Hook “Run, run, lost boy,” they say to

me, “Away from all of

reality.” Neverland is home to lost boys like me And lost boys like me are free.

Neverland is home to lost

boys like me And lost boys like me are free. He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me

to believe believe in him and

believe in me. Together we will fly away in a cloud of green to your beautiful destiny.

As we soared above the town

that never loved me, I realized I finally had a family. Soon enough we reached

Neverland, Peacefully my feet

hit the sand And ever since that day… I am a lost boy from Neverland, Usually

hanging out with Peter Pan

And when we’re bored we play in the woods, Always on the run from Captain Hook.

“Run, run, lost boy,” they say to me, “Away from all of reality.” Neverland is home to lost boys like me And lost boys like me are free. Neverland is home to lost boys like me And lost boys like me are free. Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy Darling, Even Captain Hook, You are my perfect story book. Neverland, I love you so, You are now my home sweet home Forever a lost boy at last. Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy Darling, Even Captain Hook, You are my perfect story book. Neverland, I love you so, You are now my home sweet home Forever a lost boy at last, And for always I will say… Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy Darling, Even Captain Hook, You are my perfect story book. Neverland, I love you so, You are now my home sweet home Forever a lost boy at last. Neverland is home to lost boys like me And lost boys like me are free. Neverland is home to lost boys like me And lost boys like me are free

Where I’m From I am from the world,

While writing this poem I thought it clearly gave an example of my

all the beaches and mountains

identity as a person, because it tells my story, it tells a story of what

From Australia all the way to Canada

makes me happy, what I love to do, and more. Like the third paragraph,

My body stretching across the oceans of the world

which explains soccer very openly, it tells people that I love soccer, it tells people a part of my identity, a part of me that belongs to the ball and

I am from “how was your day”

the field, and that’s what my identity is made of, putting a part of

To “Do your homework or else”

myself into something else. The first paragraph explains my love for

And the “don’t cry!” to the “hurry up!”

traveling, I thought that this was a strong way to start off my poem

“I love you” is where I’m from

especially with the phrase, “I am from the world.” I thought it could tell people so much about me, how I don’t care about ethnics, how I don’t

I am from my first kick to my very last

care about race, and how I just love traveling. I think that maybe in my

The smell of fresh green, grass, grazing my foot,

mind it means I don’t care about race, etc. not exactly in others’ minds,

How you can slice an entire field with one kick

but that’s how poems work, we aren’t exactly supposed to see the world

The ball and the field is where I’m from

through someone else eyes, theres always something missing, like certain characteristics we will never know about. I like the 2 and 4 paragraph

I am from family barbecues for something that means

which relate to my family, the 2 as in common phrases my family uses

nothing

towards me, whether its because i’m crying or I’m late, and the, “Don’t

The laughter that fills my throat

cry!” to the “Hurry up!” It doesn’t need to say much about my family,

And the sizzling smell of roasted chicken

it just needs to tell that this is my family and they love me. That they

Family is where I’m from

care for me and thats part of my identity, that makes up a part of my identity. I like how I ended with the last phrase, “I am from Calgary,

I am from the sun tearing into my skin

the wild and young” because it just says something about Calgary, the

To the frozen frost braided into my hair

wild and young, the bright and happy, the frozen icicles, the burning

the ice crystal wands waving in the air

sun. These may not be my characteristics, but they are Calgarys and

I am from Calgary, the wild and young

Calgary makes up me, and so Calgary, Family, Soccer, and the World is a part of, well… Me.

Slowly I don’t think this poem has a lot to do with just my identity, but others too, I think it tells people that the day might be slow, but moving is what matters, and when I put the, “right?” I mean it as doubting, in my identity sometimes I just want life to stop moving, I just want to stop, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this. I know that I’m not the only one who looks back and thinks of all of the wretched things I’ve done, or the horrible things that have happened to me. Yet, and just yet, it might not affect our future, and I think that just tells us, that to believe that some things may seem soooo important at the time, but it might never occur to you ever again. When I say, “We might not get another go” I means that some people think its just good to stop where they are, to stop when they achieved what they want, I watched this video my coach gave me and it was called Relentless by Tim Grover. I recommend it. Tim Grover says theres three types of people in the world, the Cooler, Closer, and Cleaners, all three have a different meaning, the Cooler is the one who you have to give an order to, and the result you get may be what you expected, nothing out of the ordinary. A Closer is someone who you give a job to and they will finish it with amazing results, but after that they will need another job, and have to be told how to do it. A Cleaner is the top level, a cleaner is someone who doesn’t need orders, a cleaner is someone who doesn’t need to be told what to do, they just do it. A cleaner is what I thrive to be and thats what I mean when I say, “We might not get another go” I mean we need to be a cleaner, and makes take the best out of the chances that life gives us.

As though the day is slow We may not get another go As slow as a snail, As fast as a cheetah Does it really matter?

Life comes and goes And thats how we know That nothing is for sure Slow as we may go Moving is what matters Right?

Leaving a trail behind us the slimes of the past Haunt us in the present Yet may not affect our future

Wish

I based this off judging someone before you even know them, judging someone based on how they look. I don’t think thats ok, which is why I thought the theme of this would be, don’t judge people too quickly because you never know their pain, and whats happened to them, you don’t know anything about them, and yet you choose to judge them based on that. I think this says a lot about the identity of others, I have always been judged whether it’s because I have a resting mad face, or because they think they know everything about me, when they really don’t. I sometimes do this as well, I sometimes judge people on how they look, my first impression when I know nothing about them.

This poem tells us that everyone has a part of their identity that judges people, whether they know it or not, for example you might not say it to your friend, but you may think it. This is why I put the last two lines as, “We don’t know their fear, their pain… their captors; so why must we cut their other factors?” I thought this was very powerful, as it represented how people don’t notice the other factors of a person, instead they notice one thing (usually a negative) and decide to focus on that and only that.

Separation slowly isolates me Paths laid of hearts, crushed by isolation; Despondency I now begin to see Dangling by a strand, is my salvation I see it all now… the misbehavior; emotional feelings… all unaware Pain, Anger, Sadness, I need a savior, And yet none of them present me their care I wish they would see me as one of them, I wish we would learn to stand together A gay plant, stood tall with a banded stem forever as one, a powerful tether We don’t know their fear, their pain… their captors; So why must we cut their other factors

Christmas Eva I wrote this poem for my dog, Eva, because ever since I got her I’ve been opened to a new life which includes dogs, and I wanted to represent how Eva “saw” It in her perspective. I think this tells the identity of Eva a lot because she’s always excited, this poem doesn’t really have a sad time, it has the times when she’s will always be there for us, she is made of so many different things and thats what makes her special. I wanted to represent her love for us and our love for her, because that makes up both of our identities, we are part of one another’s. One of the most powerful verses I used included, “I am from the loving home beside the park, the coming home with a squeal, “I missed you!”, and the tight scoldings, followed with a blasting “Bad girl!”, I am from the love of a million eternities”. I like this verse a lot because it tells a story of Eva’s experience, it tells an experience from Eva, which is what this poem should be telling us about. Eva can be dependent and independent, that makes her identity more complicated to explain, and more complicated to tell. This also says something about my identity, it tells the readers that I love Eva for every second of our lives, I think this can also relate to other people and their dogs, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who loves my dog “from the love of a million eternities”

Eva I am from Christmas Eve, a natural miracle Mixes of two breeds, intelligent and yet crazy Different personalities, different identities I am from a world of different I am from the loving home beside the park The coming home with a squeal “I missed you!”

And the tight scoldings, followed with a blasting “Bad girl!”

I am from the love of a million eternities I am from the wagging tails To my mouth free of drool Saliva clouding their pores Family is where I’m from I am from the Happy, Sad, Angry, and Tired I will always be there for them and they will always be there for me Mans best friend is where I’m from

Power

Power

This poem was inspired from Ms Groeller,

Bring them your achievements,

ourselves, we felt that someone had power

Your happiness, your confidence Leave the sadness, the fear,

at camp my friend and I weren’t feeling over us, that someone had taken control of our lives. She told us that we shouldn’t

the pain, throw it all out

show them that they had control over us,

Don’t let them know

how to feel. When Ms. Groeller first told me

Hide it all Let them see the confidence Let them see you for you You aren’t controlled by others They have no power over you unless you give it to them Don’t give it to them Don’t give them the power Take that power and harness it Use it for yourself Show them, Teach them that you are you You cannot be tamed You will not be tamed

that they could tell us what to do, tell us that we needed to have the power, I hadn’t even realized that the other person even had power over me. She gave us a pep talk telling us that you show them, you make them see that you’re not someone they can have a huge impact on. Not only does this poem refer to my identity as a person, but also to people like Ms. G and people like me as well, this can represent people who have been bullied, who have been told they can’t.

I think the theme of this poem is don’t let others tell you what you can or can’t do. It has a very powerful meaning for people who feel like the world controls them, and instead they should believe that they control their own life, they make their decisions and they can do whatever their heart desires.