Poetry Through the Ages for January

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:

Poetry Lasts for Generations

Each line, punctuation mark or lack of, sentence, or title case, is thought out and purposefully added to the expression of rhythm and hyperbole of the vibrant image depicted on the page.

It has often been asked if the poems written as a child still hold as much sway or seriousness in our adulthood, and I think they do. Some of you might look at the poems you wrote as a child or teen (if you wrote poetry at all) and cringe because of the angstiness or lack of perspective, but I think these poems are the backbone of how we write today.

At the time, it was important to get our thoughts out in the form of a poem because if we didn’t, the stanzas and rhyming couplets would drown in the cacophony of what was troubling us. We needed to get our confused thoughts out as a child or teenagers because we weren’t able to express ourselves any other way. For most of us, our parents understood that we were struggling with our emotions, school, and fake friends.

Still, it wasa long time since they were teenagers or children, that the advice they gave us to help deal with our struggles was either grossly outdated or too adult-centric (how they would deal with a similar situation at work). This left us to our own devices and our own thoughts that eventually poured onto the pages in front of us or on a painting canvas where the imagery of poetry became a reality.

Analyzing poetry has a lot of components and if I discussed all of them here I could write an entire book, but here are the basics regarding the components of a poem:

At the end of the poem, was the intended story and effect achieved?
Did the reader understand the imagery and associations of the poem?
How does the poem sound when read aloud? Poems are meant to be read aloud for their full affect.
The historical or cultural meaning behind the poem.
The use of repetition, either between lines or in the line above or below the first use of the repeated word.
Use of punctuation—Punctuation is as important as the words in a poem.
What mood is the poem trying to convey? Does this fit with the tone?
Which rhyme or rhythm scheme the poem uses.
Word use and how these words look on the page.

References:

Moffett, H. (2013). Seasons Come to Pass: A poetry anthology for Southern African students. 3rd ed. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

There are spaces without written content on either side of the page. This is by design and to avoid me waffling instead of adding thought–out pieces of writing.

These spaces can also be used to rest your eyes between blocks of text and give you, the reader, time to process and analyze what has been said on the page so far.

Not everything needs to be jam–packed with writing and an opportunity to respond. Sometimes we need the quiet moments and empty spaces to reflect and prepare ourselves for what comes next.

This is a website for reflection and asking questions! What type of writer would I be if I made readers like you tired on purpose, just so you can finish sooner and miss the opportunity to think about what you have read?

Week Two:

Your Relationship With Poetry

Poetry was my first form of expression. I was eleven when I wrote it and since then, I have written 100 poems. Some of them were meaningful and thought-provoking, others were the ramblings of a confused child and teen, and others were written to help me cope with my surroundings on paper.

Still, it had been such a long time since they were teenagers or children, that the advice they gave us to help deal with our struggles was either grossly outdated or too adult-centric (how they would deal with a similar situation at work). This left us to our own devices and our own thoughts that eventually poured onto the pages in front of us or on a painting canvas where the imagery of poetry became a reality.

For the poetry section of this website, there are two components: The poem I wrote when I was a child—complete with the date I wrote it and my age at the time—and a way to deconstruct both poems using poetry theory and explanations of the poem I write as a child using the poetry theories I learned as an adult.

When I run out of poems I wrote as a child (after 100 poems), I will write and upload poems I wrote recently and follow the same deconstruction and analysis for these poems. I also plan to write a poetry anthology once all of my original 100 poems have been uploaded and analyzed which will be available on Amazon (alongside my other personal books). This will be available in April next year. Please go to this [ page ] for more details on my upcoming poetry and non-fiction books.

Poetry is but a single means to express ourselves and when written with intent, each line, punctuation mark or lack of, sentence, or title case, is thought out and purposefully added to the expression of rhythm and hyperbole of the vibrant image depicted on the page.

Poetry is very subjective. This is because each person who reads the poem understands the poem based on their personal experiences, political ideologies, moral or religious standards, stages of their life, and expectations of what the end of the poem should be. Pay attention to how the poem makes you feel, and then think about why you feel like that.

Emotions and the meaning behind each line, break, and punctuation mark, all add to the impact and connections you might feel when reading this poem, the following poem on this page, and any other poems you will read in the future.

Analyzing poetry has a lot of components and if I discussed all of them here I could write an entire book, but here are the basics regarding the components of a poem:

At the end of the poem, was the intended story and effect achieved?
Did the reader understand the imagery and associations of the poem?
How does the poem sound when read aloud? Poems are meant to be read aloud for their full affect.
The historical or cultural meaning behind the poem.
The use of repetition, either between lines or in the line above or below the first use of the repeated word.
Use of punctuation—Punctuation is as important as the words in a poem.
What mood is the poem trying to convey
Does this fit with the tone?
Which rhyme or rhythm scheme the poem uses.
Word use and how these words look on the page.

References:

Moffett, H. (2013). Seasons come to pass : A poetry anthology for Southern African students. 3rd ed. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

Do you have a favorite style of poetry, poet, or era of poetry? Let me know via this link and I could write in a style you like in the future!

Mail

Week Three:

Heartbroken—2000. Age 11.

They say she tastes like brandy when she kisses your lips,

They say when you surround her with shandy,

She falls and cries to bits.

She says it reminds her of her daddy,

Who died in a war.

They told her he was drinking brandy

When they shot him to the floor.

They say when she’s near the seashore,

She runs through the plunging surf.

She says it reminds her of her mommy,

Who ran the extra mile to get what she deserved.

They said when she runs through the plunging surf,

She feels her mother’s presence,

And she falls down and cries once more.

She strides the leafy forest floor,

As she takes deep exhausting breaths

She breathes in all the fresh air she can get out of the foggy air.

In the darkened forest depths,

They watch her stroll into the blackest of midnight,

Where they see her fall asleep on the soft forest leaves.

They watch her till she does not wake anymore,

They see her spirit in the mist,

Where she meets her beloved parents once again.

Analogy

There are some examples of a poem not fitting in with the age and stage of life of the poet (like my poem above, written when I was 11), but in most cases, this means that the poet understands concepts that aren’t usually associated with their age group.

In my case (it might be different for other poets), my understanding of concepts above my age group was the result of a few things. I think the most important reason for this was that my mom had me before any of her friends or family members had their own children so until my brothers were born, my exposure to the outside world was through the eyes of adults. Naturally, my parents tried to shield the ‘grown-up’ conversations from me and any serious conversations had to wait until I was in bed, but I caught on quickly.

When I wrote Heartbroken, I had this line in my head (that’s how most of my poems start), and I had to tell the story that would fit the line I thought of. The first line I thought of was “They said when she runs through the plunging surf” and the rest of the poem was written from that (I wrote the line in the corner of the page and slotted it in when I found the right spot).

Let’s analyze my poem above:

They say she tastes like brandy when she kisses your lips—

As a child, brandy burnt my lips when I was given the odd sip so this line represents how it burns/hurts when the later lines of the poem reveal what happened to her father in the war, who enjoyed brandy.

They say when you surround her with shandy,—

In the story in my head, the mother of this girl (not me) drank shandy because brandy reminded her too much of her dead husband.

She falls and cries to bits.—

The bits of the shattered glass when she falls.

She says it reminds her of her daddy,—

Directly referencing the father to give a story of why she felt that way.

Who died in a war.—

Self-explanatory from earlier.

They told her he was drinking brandy—

The deliberate omission of terminal punctuation (full stop) illustrates that she wasn’t able to finish her sentence because of the context.

When they shot him to the floor.—

This is a stark contrast to the ‘war’ theory from earlier. It could imply that the daughter was told her father died in a war to make it easier than explaining that her father died drinking brandy at a bar.

They say when she’s near the seashore,—

Deliberate use of a change of scenery, possible to remove the poet from the unpleasant reminder that her father is dead.

She runs through the plunging surf.—

The use of onomatopoeia for the ‘plunging surf’ is used for both imagery and a sound device to emphasize running from or towards something.

She says it reminds her of her mommy,—

The suffix “my” is often used to mean small form or vulnerability. In this case, her mommy is vulnerable because she has just lost her partner and the poet/daughter is also vulnerable because she has to face the world without her father from now on.

Who ran the extra mile to get what she deserved.—

This has a double meaning, and depending on your worldview, the double meaning could be dark and negative. Running the extra mile is seen as a positive attribute because they could go above and beyond what is expected of them, but in this case, the word “deserve” could mean something else. It could mean the mother deserves to run the extra mile because she wasn’t able to protect her partner from those who shot him.

They said when she runs through the plunging surf,—

The word ‘she’ is used here again but by the end of the line, it becomes clear that the ‘she’ is the poet/daughter, and not the mother.

She feels her mother’s presence,—

Feeling someone’s presence usually means that have died or at least aren’t around or easily accessible. In this line, the daughter feels her mother’s presence but it's up to the reader to decide if the mother died or is still alive but unreachable.

And she falls down and cries once more.—

‘She’ is used again without confirmation whether it’s the daughter or mother, leading the reader to question their previous decision of whether or not the mother is dead or unavailable.

She strides the leafy forest floor,—

A stark change of scenery again with a description of the forest floor could mean that all of this is happening in the daughter’s mind and none of these events actually happened.

As she takes deep exhausting breaths—

The ommittance of terminal punctuation again leads into the point of the daughter being uncomfortable with what she’s going through.

She breathes in all the fresh air she can get out of the foggy air.—

The use of a double word (air) in the same line emphasizes that air is important, possible because neither of her parents can breathe anymore.

In the darkened forest depths,—

Forests can be quite gloomy because of the large canopies that restrict sunlight but the word ‘gloomy’ isn’t used. ‘Dark’ is used instead and this could be a metaphor for ignorance of what happened to her parents as the opposite of light/knowledge.

They watch her stroll into the blackest of midnight,—

Forests are full of creatures, both safe and dangerous, but the forest creatures watching her leave her to be without engaging. This could mean they know her or they feel sorry for her.

Where they see her fall asleep on the soft forest leaves.—

Leaving someone to sleep peacefully can be a sign of trust and a means to lull them into a false sense of security. If the forest creatures allowed her to sleep undisturbed, they were either not interested or they were waiting for a better opportunity to strike.

They watch her till she does not wake anymore.—

The poem takes a turn as the reader is made aware that the daughter has died but how she died is a mystery. Did the forest creatures kill her? Did she die from exposure? Did she starve after being lost in the forest for too long (earlier in this stanza, she took ‘exhausting breaths’)?

They see her spirit in the mist,—

A mention of ‘they’ again but the reader still doesn’t understand who ‘they’ are. The mist is also a visual device used to convey a sense of shrouded judgment on the daughter's part for venturing so far into the forest that she dies.

Where she meets her beloved parents once again.—

The reader is finally made aware of who ‘they’ are. ‘They’ are the parents of the daughter, confirming that the mother is in fact dead and not just unavailable. Beloved is a strong word usually reserved for romantic partners but in this case, the parents are her beloved because of the sheltered life she led with an absent father (either at war or at the bar) and a grieving mother who lost herself after the death of her partner, leading the daughter to feel her presence instead of her body.

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 Four:

Flying Without Wings—2000. Age 11.

Every night I lay in my bed,

Wondering if we are to be wed,

I hear the man I am meant to marry,

He does nothing but toil and tarry.

All say he’s the right one,

A good man and the minister's son.

I wonder if they may be right,

But in my heart he gives me fright.

I want to fly free as a bird,

To soar, to dream,

To make myself heard.

If I marry the man, truth be told,

There will be nothing in life to behold.

Analogy

This poem (the second I wrote) is also an example of the poet speaking past their years, but for a different reason this time. The poem discusses marriage and has a religious element, which could mean the poet has known this person for a long time as a church-goer, but many devout people marry young which gives the impression that the poet might be old enough to marry but not old enough to understand what may be expected of them regarding their faith and the future with someone who frightens them.

The metaphor of a bird could mean the poet feels caged already and in this case, their wings may be clipped for them to ‘fit in’ with a minister’s family and religious duties once they are married. Making themselves heard could be seen as a way to call out for help or as praise for their new partner and religion: If they make themselves heard in their own home, they are more likely to be believed and trusted outside the home.

This, in turn, could lead to a potential safety net if necessary. In the second stanza, there isn’t a clear explanation of who they “all” are so it could be the minister's family or their own family who could be eager to marry them off to a respectable and religious family. The poem doesn’t give the poet many options regarding where they can go (as a caged bird) and who they can marry, so the outcome of this union could be one-sided.

At the same time, the poet doesn’t elaborate on why the minister’s son frightens her and if they are young (but still old enough to marry), these reasons could include leaving their family behind and gaining a new family without knowing how the new family feels about them.

This poem has a historical and religious tone to it based on the language (toil and tarry aren’t readily used now), and birds were seen as messengers from angels as they were so close to the sky (and the Christian God).

Let’s analyze my poem above:

Every night I lay in my bed,—

There isn’t much to analyze about this line. It’s pretty standard regarding where the poet could be at night, but without context, we don’t know where this bed is.

Wondering if I were to be wed,—

Wondering if the poet is going to get married allows us to assume that the marriage isn’t set in stone yet and that the poet has an option in this case.

I hear the man I am meant to marry,—

Hearing the man the poet is meant to marry implies that they are near one another. In this case, the poet and the man to marry could be in the same house at the time. This could be because the betrothed’s family has things to discuss with the poet's family or it could mean the poet and the betrothed’s family live together already. This could imply a shared-house arrangement where money is tight which leads to the cause for the marriage in the first place.

He does nothing but toil and tarry.—

‘Toil’ means to work extremely hard at something, particularly if there is physical labor involved. This could imply that the poet would have to endure long periods of absence from their partner because in some cases, working very hard at something often means that that ‘something’ doesn’t have a downtime. The work is only done when the ‘something’ is complete which could take weeks or months.‘Tarry’ is when the future husband stays longer than expected or required, which could explain why the poet heard him earlier.

All say he’s the right one,—

There isn’t a direct translation or explanation for who “all” the people are. They could be the poet’s family and friends who want the best for the poet, or they could be the betrothed’s family and friends who are eager to have their son married for the sake of heirs.

A good man and the minister's son.—

In this line, it isn’t made clear whether or not ‘he’ is a good man because he is the minister's son, or if he is a good man and also the minister's son. Is he a good man because “all” said he is? Or is he a good man because he is good to others who then call him good in return?

I wonder if they may be right,—

The poet wonders if “they” may be right, but who is right depends on who “they” are. In the case of the poet's family, they could believe they are right because they believe they know what’s best for the poet (again, this implies that the poet is younger than those around them). If they “they” are the minister's family, they could believe they are in the right because they would share their religion with someone new, spreading the word of their religion.

But in my heart he gives me fright.—

Our inner voices are often our biggest critics and if the poet hasn’t spent a lot of time away from their own family, a fear of the unknown could arise because of their sheltered life. The ‘heart’ could be a metaphor for their vulnerability of opening up to someone new, or it could be another way to say ‘gut’ as in “trust your gut.” In this case, the poet is frightened of the minister's son because their gut is telling them something is wrong.

I want to fly free as a bird,—

The poet may understand how caged birds could feel because they feel caged as well: In a house with someone they don’t trust, with their family who may have put her in this position, and in a place where they have a bed already: Why should they leave their own ‘nest’ unless absolutely necessary?

To soar, to dream,—

‘Soaring’ is a type of flight/movement from birds where they don’t flap their wings but instead allow the wind to guide them along the currents. Soaring is mainly done by birds of prey as they bide their time and save energy between meals, but these birds of prey also soar towards their prey, using gravity and tucked heads and feathers to reach their prey and kill or paralyze them before eating them. The poet has changed their stance: From being frightened by the person they have to marry to a frightening bird of prey, ready to soar and maim unsuspecting prey.

To make myself heard.—

Making oneself heard can be difficult unless those around us are willing to listen to us, or we make those around us listen by refusing to let go of our ideas and speaking about them with conviction. The poet believes the only way they can be heard is by turning into a bird of prey. This says a lot about how they were treated before they saw themselves as a bird of prey, and how they will be treated in the future.

If I marry the man, truth be told,—

There is still a question of “if” at this stage of the poem/story. This could imply the poet has a final say in whether or not there will be a marriage in the first place. At the same time, now that the poet sees themselves as a bird of prey, the truth told won’t be one-sided.

There will be nothing in this life to behold.—

The negative and unsureness of the poet from the beginning of the poem has returned. They assume that the marriage won’t lead to anything they can hold onto. Or, is it their prey that won’t have anything to behold after the soaring begins? Is the prey in this case the minister's son?

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 ].

There are spaces without written content on either side of the page. This is by design and to avoid me waffling instead of adding thought–out pieces of writing.

These spaces can also be used to rest your eyes between blocks of text and give you, the reader, time to process and analyze what has been said on the page so far.

Not everything needs to be jam–packed with writing and an opportunity to respond. Sometimes we need the quiet moments and empty spaces to reflect and prepare ourselves for what comes next.

Thank you for your interest in Write Remedy: Vial Blossoms where curiosity is key, and everything else falls into place.