Poetry Through the Ages for July

In the blocks below, please find your weekly poems written by me. There are two components to each poem: The poem I wrote as a child (I started writing poetry when I was 11) and an analogy of the lines and word use, using my current and adult understanding of poetic devices and how my lines conveyed the message using devices and styles I learned as an adult. If you have any questions or concerns about the poems, please reach out to me!

Week One:

Angels—2004. Age 15

She surrounds herself with animals,

At night,

She becomes a creature of the dark.

She howls at the moon when she is alone,

And speaks with a foreign tongue.

She sees her elders.

Analogy:

She surrounds herself with animals,—

Who is “she”? The poet? Who else can it be? If “she” can surround herself with animals, it’s possible that “she” is in a forest or the wilderness where animals are abundant. “She” could also be at home if there are a lot of animals as pets, but “surrounding” yourself with “animals” would need a lot of them, and in the context of the title of the poem, these animals could be angels. The question is: What type of angels? Christian or modern biblical angels whose job it should be to help people and you, the reader, feel safe, or a different type of angel where the souls of animals are among them and greet you, the reader, when you need them? Are all angels good? Do all angels have the best intentions for their charges? What about angels from different religions? Or angels from the beginning of Christianity, where their job was to instil fear and respect in people and not spread love? What does this have to do with animals? Is this why “she surrounds herself with animals”: To be comforted in the presence of scary angels? What could be so scary at the start of the poem? Nothing has happened, yet.

At night,—

Now the poet has given us a time: Nighttime. Nighttime is usually reserved for sleeping or nefarious activities for all involved, so where are the angels in this case? Does this imply that the angels in the title aren’t the good kind that you, the reader, might know of? It’s also generally believed that angels are creatures of the daylight because that’s how people know they are safe: The dark, since the beginning of modern society, has been associated with danger, and the daylight is where civilized society comes out to play. What happens when the people involved aren’t civilized enough to understand that they need to stay indoors at night? What’s the worst that can happen? Will they be surrounded by animals big and small, safe and dangerous, while waiting for night to swallow the day for their true nature to shine? What else can happen “at night”? Will the nocturnal animals come out and hunt the poet for being outside in the open, or will the animals the poet has surrounded themselves with protect the night itself from the poet who has disturbed the pieces of the night? If the poet identifies the day and night, how do we know the day and night cycle is the same as it is on earth?

She becomes a creature of the dark.—

The poet becoming a “creature of the dark” could mean a few things, the most important thing being that “she” has succumbed to the animal urges around her and removed her need for protection. If “she” is the one that needs to be feared by the masses since “she” is associated with “the dark” now instead of the more acceptable light. The creatures that follow the “dark” can also be used as a metaphor for things that could be brought into the light under the right circumstances. “The dark” can also be a means for those around the poet to think about concepts not usually entertained, and as the “creature of the dark”, the poet will now have the ability to answer all of the “dark” questions those around them may have. What’s a dark question, you ask? It can be any question that might make others uneasy: By asking difficult questions, most people shy away from non-transparency because the alternative would imply self-reflection. Self-reflection that might not exist if the person isn’t comfortable with themselves asking and answering questions unfit for polite company, like the nighttime where monsters lurk in the shadows.

She howls at the moon when she is alone,—

Are we sure the poet wasn’t an animal to start off with? Why else would “she” howl “at the moon”? The poet could be an animal who howls, like a wolf or husky, or “she” could be completely insane. Either way, howling “at the moon” implies there is a “moon” in the sky. This could mean that this poem takes place on Earth or another poetic universe with similar celestial bodies. Does this mean there are similar beings as well, both real and imagined? What about the animals from line one? Or the angels from the title? This could help the theory that these angels might not be good, or at least associated with light compared to other angels, but this also asks the question of whether or not “she” is the poet, a bystander among the animals, or an animal herself. If “she” is the poet, “she” could know why howling “at the moon” is beneficial for her, or she could have turned into one of the animals she surrounded herself with to blend in with the darkness and remove herself from the light that could harm her safety of darkness in her otherworldly angels?

And speaks with a foreign tongue.—

In this line, the “foreign tongue” could be from the poet, or it could be from the animals the poet or she (whoever that is), or the “foreign tongue” could be from the moon and their celestial language in the poetic universe or the universe the poet finds themselves in. What do you, the reader, think would be said in this “foreign tongue”? Would this language be used for instructions for all who can hear, or would these be pleas in order for the darkness to return and remove the harmful light around the poet’s safe space with their animals and darkness after turning into a creature of darkness? What if this “foreign tongue” is the darkness itself and it’s calling to the poet and animals she surrounds herself with to make sure any messages are lost in transition. Why would this be necessary? Could the poet not want you, the reader, to understand the language of the poetic world so they could keep this to themselves? What if you, the reader, have your own language you can share with the poet? How would they know to reach you?

She sees her elders,—

Based on the analogies above, how would you analyse this line?

What do you think? Do you agree with my understanding and symbolism? I’d love to know!

Please use this [ link ] to the optional forum to start a discussion about the poem. Alternatively, you can use any of the email links from the contact [ page ].

Week Two:

The Return—2004. Age 15

She returns to the depths of the black nothingness from where she once rose,

And she sits.

She waits for her inventor to come.

He does not.

She wonders why he did not come,

And goes looking for him.

Analogy:

She returns to the depths of the black nothingness from where she once rose—

What is this black nothingness? Could it be a place of water where the nothingness seeps into the light until there isn’t anything left but darkness? In this case, what is darkness? Is it the absence of light or simply the feeling of foreboding as water envelops the person known as “she” in this line? Does this mean this poem is about drowning or something else? If this is about drowning, how could “she” return? Would “she” return from the bottom of the lake or river from drowning, or would the return be from the top of the water to fall into the depths of gravity, away from where “she” took the plunge? With this reasoning, did she take the plunge on purpose so “she” could return, or did “she” return because she had nowhere else to go? Since the line says “returns to” and not “returns from”, “she” has clearly been here before, but if this place is indeed a place of water how could “she” have been there before? Does this mean this is a poem about drowning and the “black nothingness” is Death? For who? “She” or the poet who experiences the story as it comes out onto the page, only for them to drown with their muse based on this context?

And she sits—

There are many poems on this website that start with “she”. Does this mean the poet is a woman or does it mean the muses for the poet are all female? Another question can be: Where is “she” sitting? Does this mean this isn’t a poem about water and drowning? Did the poet state anything about water in the previous line? Is it implied that there is water since the poet discussed lakes and rivers, or can these lakes and rivers be a metaphor for something else that would cause the poet or their muse to drown? What do you, the reader, understand about metaphorical drowning? Is this when people feel overwhelmed in their daily lives and look for an outlet to rid themselves of the feeling of nothingness that fills their empty lives in the midst of trying to stay above the surface, or is it when people feel smothered by those around them and choose to remain beneath the surface to avoid confrontation? This could be why “she sits” from this line. “She” could “sit” and wait for the feeling of smothering to pass over her but how are these feelings passing over her? Are they passing over her because “she” is at the bottom of a lake or river from the nothingness from where she came, or is “she” passing over these outlets and empty lives because “she” understands that sitting and waiting is all “she” can do: No one can fight the current of water, whether the water is wet or just around us. The flow will consume us all eventually.

She waits for her inventor to come.—

What is this “inventor” and where did he come from? Why does the poet need to mention an inventor at all? The context so far has been the concept of drowning, water (even if this wasn’t mentioned specifically), rivers, lakes, and contemplation; why would the poet, the poem, or their muse need an inventor? Could they need one to invent a device to navigate the rapids of the lakes and rivers that are the heart and soul of the poet or poem to help them not drown? What if the subject that is causing the feeling of drowning is in the created capsule with them? How would they be saved? Do they want to be saved? How would the poet know either way? If “she waits”, do you think “she” assumes the inventor has her best intentions at heart (to save her), or will the invented item serve his (the inventor’s) purpose alone if he disagrees with how the poet or muse got themselves into this position? The inventor could also come, but too late, even if he wanted to be there earlier, and his invention would be moot. This asks the question: What did he, or what will he, invent? Would it be a capsule to save the poet or the muse from drowning in the first place or would it be something to help the poet or muse avoid the drowning situation all together?

He does not.—

“Does not” what? Not come, not come in time, or invent anything to save the poet or their muse? If the inventor doesn’t invent anything, does this mean the drowning will happen regardless because the poet or muse couldn’t save themselves or will they have to save themselves from drowning in the first place by avoiding areas close to rivers and lakes? What if these areas are figurative and only in their minds? Does this mean the poet or muse will need to change how they think entirely to save themselves or will they let their thoughts consume them for long enough to allow them to realize that no one is coming to save them? If the inventor didn’t come but he had planned to, what could be the reason they chose not to come? Surely they knew what might happen if they didn’t appear to the poet and create a vessel to save themselves from drowning? Do you, the reader, think they chose not to appear on purpose, to teach the poet and their muse not to rely on anyone while they are drowning? Why would the inventor feel the need to teach them anything? This would imply the inventor is known from the start, and they could have built a vessel from the beginning but chose to allow the poet and their muse to contemplate drowning while they wait. Why do you, the reader, think the inventor chose not to assist from the start?

She wonders why he did not come,—

In the previous line, I asked you, the reader, why the inventor didn’t come, but in this line, the question is for the poet herself. If “she” knew the inventor and he chose not to come, “she” could assume the inventor wanted her to drown, even if this isn’t the case. When people feel they are drowning, they often assume they are alone and any hand they shoot up for someone to catch them will turn away in disgust at the thought of helping someone else other than themselves. By this logic, “she” could feel that “she” is a burden and not worthy of saving, but in this case, the wondering doesn’t make sense. Why would “she” wonder anything if “she” assumes “he” shouldn’t save her? Could “she” be wondering “why he did not come” for a different reason? What if “she” wonders why “he” didn’t save her and fulfill his duty as the inventor without assuming that “he” would save her if “she” couldn’t save herself? Could it be possible that “she” knows “he” didn’t come at all because “he” doesn’t want to see her drown herself in the nothingness she created for herself by waiting for a savior in the first place?

And goes looking for him.—