Fluorescence

In the second half of Jennifer K. Dick's Fluorescence, a lot of the poems seem to take on an almost "Alice in Wonderland" type of theme. A lot of the poems are surreal and paint pictures of strange occurrences  One poem that is an example of this is Looking Glass.

In this particular poem, the word surreal almost seems inadequate. The poem details a town where an alligator roams free, and a man is vomiting up entire fish that proceed to flop around on the ground, somehow still alive. The other townspeople then try to catch the fish with the hopes that they may eat them. This is a very strange, fantastical image; and not only that, but the people depicted in the poem seem unconcerned by these events!

I feel like this could almost be a commentary on the real world - where people want things and don't care how they come to acquire these things, even if it means taking them after a man vomited them up!

Poetry Packet

I greatly enjoyed the poetry packet - there was so much variety, so many different types of poems - there was no strict guideline. I like that about poetry - everyone thinks that poetry has to follow the rules, but it doesn't.

One of Ted Berrigan's sonnets illustrates this perfectly - sonnet XV in the packet. It is a fascinating piece of work - and when you first read it, it makes absolutely no sense. That is, until you read a little closer and realize that the poem is like a mirror; the first line corresponds to the last, and on from there. In the middle of the poem, the "last line", Berrigan says "and the sonnet is not dead". This may illustrate the idea that poetry doesn't necessarily have to follow a strict set of rules - it can be whatever you want it to be.

Hello!

Hi, my name is Shelby Taylor. This is my blog for Creative Writing class.

My major is in English, with a minor in Communications. I intend to become a copy editor in the future. Presently I copy edit for the Eastern Echo.