Poetry Packet Post #1

My initial reaction to the poetry packet was wow this is a really long packet. Then, as I began printing the poetry packet I ran across very odd poems that I'd never been introduced to before. Later, when I continued on to reading the first assigned poems by Ted Berrigan, William Shakespeare, and Harryette Mullen I came to realize that even though the packet seemed long the interpretations would be even longer. They ended up being longer to comprehend from line to line and stanza to stanza but none the less very intriguing as each poem went along. The poems seemed to be realistic outlets of emotions for all of these writers rather through structure, meaning, or confusion.

The poem that stood out to me the most were William Shakespeare's sonnet number 130 because throughout the lines he details every flaw of this women that he loves. He then ends with a couplet that says "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare. As any she belied with false compare!" which shows that he loves her with flaws and all (very complex). The way that Harryette Mullen took that poem and interpreted it into a poem entitled Dim Lady which modernizes Shakespeare's work is beyond amazing. He ends the modern poem with "And yet, by gosh, my scrumptious Twinkie has as much sex appeal for me as any lanky model or platinum movie idol who's hyped beyond belief" which shows how he is taking a simple thing and giving it a higher standard to show that although somethings may be simple to some, it can be as glorious as their favorite icon to other! Those meanings are what complicate the mind and help people like me to see the creativity with writing because it is just like a great piece of Picasso.

The way that Ted Berrigan wrote XV is truly creative because who would have ever known that he wrote the poem to be read differently from the way the poem is presented by having the last line positioned in the middle of the poem. The middle line reads "and the sonnet is not dead" which makes me believe that he wrote this sonnet just to show that sonnets are not boring and non creative but that it takes the right writer to bring life to this form of writing. To show such appreciation and allegiance through this one piece of literature is exactly what poetry can provide to people. Poetry provides emotions to those who are seeking an emotional drive for any moment and because it can interpreted in so many ways, one poem can give you tones of different feelings. The complexity of what the actual writer wanted to convey is more reason for others to take poetry for what it is which is an outlet for emotions.