I really actually love poetry so much and I cannot believe this is the first year I've been asked to spend a decent amount of time studying it. That is, at Black River. When I was in 8th grade I was a part of the PATH program (I have no idea what PATH stands for) at Hope College, where a couple dozen middle school students are plucked from their normal classes at school and placed in college-level courses taught by incredible teachers who know how to get college-level work out of 13 year old children. Being a part of the program for two years was one of the best decisions I ever made for my academic career (even though I practically waged war on a sub-par 2nd year teacher, but that's beside the point). The poetry unit of my first year at PATH challenged me, but I don't think I challenged me, you know? I wasn't pushing myself to write quality stuff and I didn't give myself enough time to roll things over in my mind before trying to get them down on paper. My poems were somewhat crappy, looking back on them, but I learned that putting words into a rhyming scheme based on a simple theme is not enough. It's easy enough, but without any sense of satisfaction, it doesn't feel like poetry at all.
This is why I really wish we had the opportunity to write poetry in AP Lit. In applying the things we are learning about figurative language to our own ideas, we could better understand the poems we are closely observing and hopefully better appreciate the work that went into writing them.
IN THE WORLD OF POETRY I am a big fan of three things:
#1: Slam poetry
#2: Spurts of inspiration that find themselves in notes on my phone
#3: Sonnets
I think the slam poetry thing is pretty self-explanatory, to be honest. People who don't like slam poetry are either lacking a soul or have never seen "Ursula" by William Giles, "OCD" by Neil Hilborn, "Poem for Guys Who Spit After Smoking Cigarettes Between Slicing Pizzas" by Harlan Kelly, and, of course, "Shrinking Women" by Lily Myers.
Do you ever get these little phrases or pairs of words that sound SO FREAKING GOOD in your head that you have to write them down? I definitely have that every once and a while and I cherish those moments like I cherish new Julian Casablancas songs and Choxie chocolate bars. They might sound like crap when you actually say them out loud or even see them on paper, but it feels good to feel creative in the moments where you can go back to those little phrases and say "dang, that was a good line, Hannah."
When I'm not creative or inspired enough on my own but feel like writing poetry, sonnets will usually do the trick. I find that the structure squeezes ideas in just the right way to at least make them SEEM more profound. I just dug up my collection of poems that I wrote as a 13 year old in PATH; since this blog post is scattered and probably very very boring, I will put my pride and reputation in a vulnerable spot for entertainment purposes. Here's the first sonnet I ever wrote:
There is nothing so glorious as sleep.
From my bed into another world I manage to float.
I push away from the dock, tying spider web ropes to the bow of the boat,
Out to sea, into the ocean-- green, wide and deep.
And with no fear, I run and leap
Into an abyss, breaking through a paper thin coat
Of struggle, triggering the lowering of a bridge athwart a moat.
This sense of rest forces me to sit and weep,
And I've learned that nothing comes from risks you don't take.
Through the journey of sleep, my honor and bravery is tried,
Every moment spent not regretting is enjoyed.
With each minute I sleep, a thin stick of dynamite is deployed,
But the lighter is my joy, and now would be fine if I died.
I drift in paradise, where I will remain 'til I wake.
Clearly I was a fan of sleeping. It's good to see that not much has changed.
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