Observational PoetryKerry Caitlyn Connor

Mrs. LovePeriod uno

Dirty Face By Shel Silverstein

Where did you get such a dirty face, My darling dirty-faced child? I got it from crawling along in the dirt And biting two buttons off Jeremy’s shirt. I got it from chewing the roots of a rose And digging for clams in the yard with my nose. I got it from peeking into a dark cave And painting myself like a Navajo brave. I got it from playing with coal in the bin And signing my name in cement with my chin. I got if from rolling around on the rug And giving the horrible dog a big hug. I got it from finding a lost silver mine And eating sweet blackberries right off the vine. I got it from ice cream and wrestling and tears And from having more fun than you’ve had in years.

Dirty face Analysis

The most prominent devices used in this poem are end rhyme, imagery, and allusion. The main character in this poem obviously likes to get down and dirty and isn’t afraid to get messed up, like most children. The tone of this poem is silly and is meant to make the reader laugh, and does a good job in that. I had a smile while reading and analyzing it.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill

up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of

the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some

mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I

sleep.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Analysis

The devices used here are end rhyme, personification, and imagery, as well as allusion. The narrator in the poem is expressing his admiration for the woods in the winter time and all of his thoughts are connected to that.I like this poem because of the rhyme scheme, especially in the last stanza. It’s simple thought, but Frost is so good at explaining them. That is a hard thing to do for a lot of people.I think a theme for this poem is “longing”. Frost wants to just watch the snowy woods, and even explore them a little longer, but he has other things he must do.

The Tuft of Flowers By Robert Frost I went to turn the grass once after one Who mowed it in the dew before the sun. The dew was gone that made his blade so keen Before I came to view the levelled scene I looked for him behind an isle of trees; I listened for his whetstone on the breeze. But he had gone his way, the grass all mown, And I must be, as he had been,— alone, As all must be,' I said within my heart, Whether they work together or apart.' But as I said it, swift there passed me by On noiseless wing a 'wildered butterfly, Seeking with memories grown dim o'er night Some resting flower of yesterday's delight. And once I marked his flight go round and round, As where some flower lay withering on the ground. And then he flew as far as eye could see,

And then on tremulous wing came back to me. I thought of questions that have no reply, And would have turned to toss the grass to dry; But he turned first, and led my eye to look At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook, A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared

A leaping tongue of bloom the scythe had spared Beside a reedy brook the scythe had bared. I left my place to know them by their name, Finding them butterfly weed when I came. The mower in the dew had loved them thus, By leaving them to flourish, not for us, Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him. But from sheer morning gladness at the brim. The butterfly and I had lit upon, Nevertheless, a message from the dawn, That made me hear the wakening birds around, And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground, And feel a spirit kindred to my own; So that henceforth I worked no more alone; But glad with him, I worked as with his aid, And weary, sought at noon with him the shade; And dreaming, as it were, held brotherly speech With one whose thought I had not hoped to reach. Men work together,' I told him from the heart, Whether they work together or apart.'

The Tuft of Flowers Analysis

In this poem, there are elements of end rhyme, allusion, rhyme scheme in general, personification, some blank verse, and obvious stanzas.What I understood and liked about this poem was that he was observing and making unusual assumptions about what he saw. Like the grass being mowed, he noticed that there was new dew on it so the blade that mowed it must have been fairly sharp. Frost also observes that even though he never saw the guy mowing the grass and he was also alone, the guys job was incredibly helpful to him and other people, whether they are directly connected or not.One theme of this poem could be “one-ness”. He observes the earth and realises how things are connected to each other, even though they seem unrelated.

And Then It Was Less Bleak Because We Said So By Wendy Xu

Today there has been so much talk of things exploding into other things, so much that we all become curious, that we all run outside into the hot streets and hug. Romance is a grotto of eager stones anticipating light, or a girl whose teeth you can always see. With more sparkle and pop is the only way to live. Your confetti tongue explodes into acid jazz. Small

typewriters that other people keep in their eyes click away at all our farewell parties. It is hard to pack for the rest of your life. Someone is always eating cold cucumber noodles. Someone will drop by later to help dismantle some furniture. A lot can go wrong if you sleep or think, but the trees go on waving their broken little hands.

And Then It Was Less Bleak Because We Said So Analysis

Elements most prominent in this poem are free verse, blank verse, onomatopoeia.I can’t quite sum up what I was feeling when I read this poem. I understood the message though. Things happen. People feel things day-to-day and those feelings change. Things are not certain in this lifeI believe this poem’s theme is just “life”, because it goes on everyday. It can be sad, happy, whatever. But it goes on.

The Minstrel’s Prayer by Cartel

And all these stupid silly songs Keep trying to catch your ear I'm trying desperately It's just so hard to persevere And even if you listened I never had much to say Cause it's the same old song I've written for the day Shelter me oh genius words Just give me strength Just to pen

these things And give me peace to well her wings All these minstrels through the ages That is really all we are Simply singing for the girl that makes us try so very hard to craft the perfect limerick To wield unending woe To write such silly songs And the difference never know

And I'll hold on to the dream Of this beggar's plea and optimistic fantasy Just hold the hand and drop the knee You're facing love You're embracing melody And carry on, oh carry on all you minstrels of the world We will catch our ladies ear We will win for us the girl

The Minstrel’s Prayer Analysis

Elements used in this poem are allusion, ballad, and symbolism. A mood in this poem is “hopeful” because the narrator is on his knees, asking for things to get better. That could also be the theme, since it is the main idea of the song/poem.

I Knew a WomanBy Theodore Roethke

I knew a woman, lovely in her bones, When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them; Ah, when she moved, she moved more ways than one:

The shapes a bright container can contain! Of her choice virtues only gods should speak,

or English poets who grew up on Greek (I’d have them sing in chorus, cheek to cheek).

How well her wishes went! She stroked my chin, She taught me Turn, and Counter-turn, and Stand;

She taught me Touch, that undulant white skin; I nibbled meekly from her proffered hand;

She was the sickle; I, poor I, the rake, Coming behind her for her pretty sake

(But what prodigious mowing we did make). Love likes a gander, and adores a goose:

Her full lips pursed, the errant note to seize; She played it quick, she played it light and loose;

My eyes, they dazzled at her flowing knees; Her several parts could keep a pure repose,

Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose (She moved in circles, and those circles moved).

I Knew A Woman Analysis

Elements present in this poem are rhyme scheme, allusion, assonance, and imagery. The mood feels reminiscent. Not like the author is sad, but remembering this girl he loved. The theme is obviously tenderness. He may not be with her anymore, but he still feels something special for her.

“Is this a dagger which I see before me”By William Shakespeare

Is this a dagger which I see before me,The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.Art thou not, fatal vision, sensibleTo feeling as to sight? or art thou butA dagger of the mind, a false creation,Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?I see thee yet, in form as palpableAs this which now I draw.Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;And such an instrument I was to use.Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,Which was not so before. There's no such thing:It is the bloody business which informsThus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one halfworldNature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuseThe curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebratesPale Hecate's offerings, and wither'd murder,

Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace.With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his designMoves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fearThy very stones prate of my whereabout,And take the present horror from the time,Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knellThat summons thee to heaven or to hell.

Is this a dagger which I see before me Analysis

The biggest terms used in this poem are rhyme scheme, or end rhyme, and metaphor. More metaphor than you can shake a stick at, and imagery. The mood from this poem is something like “distress” and the theme is about “conflict”, which is the unspoken conflict between free will and destiny.

A Rhyme for Halloweenby Maurice Kilwein Guevara

Tonight I light the candles of my eyes in the lee And swing down this branch full of red leaves. Yellow moon, skull and spine of the hare, Arrow me to town on the neck of the air.

I hear the undertaker make love in the heather;

The candy maker, poor fellow, is under the weather.

Skunk, moose, raccoon, they go to the doors in threes

With a torch in their hands or pleas: "O, please . . ."

Baruch Spinoza and the butcher are drunk: One is the tail and one is the trunk Of a beast who dances in circles for beer

And doesn't think twice to learn how to steer.

Our clock is blind, our clock is dumb. Its hands are broken, its fingers numb. No time for the martyr of our fair town Who wasn't a witch because she could drown.

Now the dogs of the cemetery are starting to bark

At the vision of her, bobbing up through the dark. When she opens her mouth to gasp for air, A moth flies out and lands in her hair.

The apples are thumping, winter is coming. The lips of the pumpkin soon will be humming. By the caw of the crow on the first of the year, Something will die, something appear.

A Rhyme for Halloween Analysis

Terms used in this poem are imagery, end rhyme, allusion, and personification. The mood I get from this poem is excitement, because I love Halloween and the thought of it makes me happy. The theme for this poem would be “expectation” because the person sees all the signs and knows what is coming

Nature, That Washed Her Hands in MilkBy Sir Walter Ralegh

Nature, that washed her hands in milk, And had forgot to dry them, Instead of earth took snow and silk, At love’s request to try them, If she a mistress could compose To please love’s fancy out of those.

Her eyes he would should be of light, A violet breath, and lips of jelly; Her hair not black, nor overbright, And of the softest down her belly; As for her inside he’d have it Only of wantonness and wit.

At love’s entreaty such a one Nature made, but with her beauty She hath framed a heart of stone; So as love, by ill destiny, Must die for her whom nature gave him, Because her darling would not save him.

But time (which nature doth despise, And rudely gives her love the lie, Makes hope a fool, and sorrow wise) His hands do neither wash nor dry; But being made of steel and rust, Turns snow and silk and milk to dust.

The light, the belly, lips, and breath, He dims, discolors, and destroys; With those he feeds but fills not death, Which sometimes were the food of joys. Yea, time doth dull each lively wit, And dries all wantonness with it.

Oh, cruel time! which takes in trust Our youth, our joys, and all we have, And pays us but with age and dust; Who in the dark and silent grave When we have wandered all our ways Shuts up the story of our days.

Nature, That Washed Her Hands In Milk Analysis

Elements used in this poem are imagery, rhyme scheme, metaphor, and personification. This poem has many themes, and undertones, but one I picked up on was contempt for a “cold” mistress who turned the author bitter from longing.

Spring Sickness

Nice feel to the airSmells of spring, so I’m told

I can’t tell, allergies.

Nighttime

The moon and stars come outBeautiful Specks in the sky

Sit on the swing & listen to cicadasBreeze blowing, lightning bugs

The nighttime is alive

Belief is Subjective MatterI believe in the power of the mindThe healing properties of EarthThe vulgarity of moneyThe idea that learning comes from experienceThe thought that you can be happy anyway

But the belief that some people are simplyBetter than others is downright stupid & unrealistic

I believe in travelling as far as you can goI believe in total self-loveI believe it’s okay to eat fish, because they don’t have any feelingsMusic, compassion, courage

And I believe that change is inevitable

I Couldn’t Think of a Name for This Poem So I Just Wrote This Down, There is Absolutely No

Symbolism

This is a pegatreePegatrees live in pickled pits in the bottom of Palestine

Pegatrees eat panty peaches, papoose roots, and parachutesPegatrees poke parents,people with parkinsons,& passive parrots

Pegatrees play patty cake, and are party poopersPegatrees picked my pack of Pennsylvanian Pears

What is Joy?

Joy is green and blueIt tastes like ice cream on a hot day

It sounds like the smooth jazz of a saxophoneAnd smells like freshly baked cookies on ChristmasIt looks like young people in love for the first time

And makes you feel like you are impenetrable