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Chloe, Will, Makayla, Steven

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Brianna Campbell, Zaria McBride, Lilly Laidlaw

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Julian, Edgar, Brycen, Daanish

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Leslie Vasquez, Angel Campos, Fabeha Bawany, Taylor

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Arianna Gibbs, Skylar Jones, Lexie Ngwa

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Sariah Cox, Giselle Rosas, Andrew Kurian, Lea Andrea, Nadia Garza

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Larry D Thomas, was an American poet. He was born in 1947, in Haskell Texas. After graduating high school, he was immediately drafted into the Navy. After serving in Virginia, he went to University of Houston, where he earned his bachelor’s in english. He then went on to write various collections of poetry and win many awards related to writing; such as Texas Review Poetry prize, Western Heritage Award, Violent Crown Poetry Award, and many others.

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David M. Parsons was born on April 16th in Georgia and is an author, poet, & educator. He attended Texas State University & University of Houston. He was also named by the Texas State Legislature in 2011. Parsons is a professor at Lone Star College-Montgomery where he teaches English and Creative Writing.  He is the founder and program director of Writers in Performance. Every year since 1994, Parsons has hosted birthday celebrations in Conroe, Texas, for the poets Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. They would feature presentations from scholars and readings by regional and nationally recognized poets.

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Steven Fromholz was an American singer/songwriter who was selected as the Poet Laureate of Texas for 2007. He died on Sunday January 19, 2014 following an accident with a firearm ate age 68.

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Karla K. Morton is a professional speaker and award-winning poet. Currently living in Fort Worth Texas, Morton earned her degree in journalism from Texas A&M. Morton wrote a collection of 13 poetry books, and has won a National Wrangler Award, two Indie National Book Awards, a Betsy Colquitt award, and an E2C grant.

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Our poet is Jan Seale. She is a native Texan, living in Mcallen, but born in Pilot Point. Seale graduated from Waxahachie High School, then attended Baylor University, and received a B.A. from The University of Louisville and a M.A. from North Texas State University. She published nine volumes of poetry, two books of short fiction, five books of nonfiction, and a multitude of children's books. She taught English and creative writing at The University of Texas-Pan American and at North Texas State University, and has also taught many workshops. Her late husband's name is Carl, and he's a symphony conductor and composer. Both Jan and Carl are the parents of three grown sons and grandparents of four grandsons.

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He is a poet from Hampshire, England. He is new to poetry. He studied drama at the University at Winchester before deciding to focus on poetry. He well-known for his poetry book "Scarlet Land", and "Poems for Susan". He is now an actor. His work is known as poetry of the shires. He is active across his social media platforms, mainly twitter and YouTube, where he shares great works of poetry from the past, along with his original work.

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Title: A place in the sun
theme or message: As humans we have multiple different layers to ourselves and personalities.
Figurative language: There is a simile in line 3. In lines 4-5 there is imagery describing the color of the pages. Stanza two is filled with metaphors and really descriptive imagery. There is more metaphors in stanza 3, when she compares herself to a chrysalis. And then the author makes biblical references throughout the poem, but especially in the last stanza.
Structure, setting, rhythm, rhymes, tone & mood?: The pome is structured in 4 stanzas, with 5 lines in each stanza.  The poem is set in Church but references other times in the characters life. There is no rhymes or repetition.
Stood out & connection: I hate to be a broken record, but what stood out to me the most again is the biblical references.  The references to church, pews, and Jesus just relate to me, because I do attend church regularly & have a personal relationship with the Lord. But, I also connected with the fact that the Author is talking about the layers of life/personality. I think different layers of your life come in to play as you get older and that’s something I’ve been relating to more and more, as I get older.

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Theme: there can be mourning in the midst of happiness
Figurative Language: hes describing the act of mourning with the feeling of brightness. personification- bloody sun. repetition- Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow.
Personification - delicate yolk
Mood/Tone/Structure: mood: conflicted; tone: sad and remorsful; Structure: no stanzas (free verse)
Stood Out: the repitition of the word. He really ephansizes on the fact that yellow is normally a happy color but in this case, the opposite of how he feels.

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Theme/Message: The theme of the poem 'Bursting into Snowflakes' is grief/longing for those who are no longer with us. In the poem, the poet discusses a longing for her dead son, who was an adventurous 9y/o at the time of his death.
Figurative language: Throughout the poem, there are many examples of vivid imagery. The poet paints an illustration of her young son who enjoyed playing soccer and describes in detail how the tragic incident unfolded.
Structure/rhythm/tone: The poem is structured in almost completely chronological order, beginning from her recalling the untimely death of her son, to how she perceived it. Additionally, there is rhythm in the poem and the poet depicts a depressed tone and mood.
Something that stood out the most was how personal and heartfelt this was for the poet. Although her emotions are put into words, we can tell exactly how she feels.

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This poem is written from a parents point of view, and the parent is explaining how the child is being raised growing up in the school system. The theme of this poem is that even though her child is being raised among many other students, she doesn't want him to act out or cause trouble, she wants him to learn and grow. The tone of the poem is very business-like, and the mood is optimistic. She uses a lot of imagery to give readers a clear portrait of what she's portraying. She uses symbolism as well, such as comparing a "melting pot" to the school system. My group said that this poem really stands out to us because as seniors, we too went through the school system and experienced a lot of the same things as the student that the parent is talking about.

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Message/meaning: Describing longing for love and filling a void of loneliness.
Figurative Language: As he's longing for someone, he's comparing the things he's surrounded by to what would be his wife. For example, connecting the ploshing wave to a returning wife, and the "manly" rocks upon the ground are like a husband.
Use of punctuation: The author uses special punctuation to emphasize different emotions and the significance of different lines. For example, line 2 is ended with an exclamation point.
Repetition: The phrase "I would I were" is repeated 3 times. It both starts and ends stanza 2. Stanza 3 starts with "I am not", and ends with "I am", further demonstrating a rhythm of symmetry.
Tone: Pitiful
Emphasis: The word "ploshing" is italicized in the 4th line. It's actually not a real word, just a word he came up with and added. The italics emphasize it's placement and importance in describing the waves that the author is referencing.
Connections: At the end of the 2nd stanza, the author discusses how Rome is eternal. Rome is a city that is known for true and eternal love. It's memory is eternal. It was a very powerful city-country that took over lots of places very violently. Crucifixion was common. These can tie over to the way the author was longing and aching for some pure and eternal love, which is why he chose to reference Rome.
Imagery: "The unknown birds fill a terrible vacancy." This line, in the 3rd stanza, paints a picture for the reader to imagine. This helps the reader sypathize more with the author and understand his feelings.

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The Night We Were Gods
Theme/Message: I think that "The Night We Were Gods" is about people's desire to feel divine and be more than themselves. To spread divinity and beauty to wherever one goes and touches.
Literary Devices: The author uses a sense of imagery to compare glitter to stars and galaxies in our universe. He also uses a metaphor that compares the individuals in the poem to Gods highlighting their elevated status and desire for power and divinity.
What Stood Out: To me what stood out was in the last stanza the line "and never even noticing, we blessed everything we touched with crushed light," expressing that the individuals in the poem are now some sort of elevated beings leaving behind a part of themselves and creating beauty in anything they come into contact with.

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Harvest Moon
Theme/Message: I don't think there is a particular theme that the author is trying to portray in the poem. I think he's just describing a scenario that happens in our daily lives.
Figurative Language: The author uses a lot of imagery to vividly describe the moon in the sky, and everything else happening simultaneously. Words like "big and bright" create transparent images in our heads. Using similies like "clung to my chest like a monkey" can tell us how tight she was grabbing.
Mood/Tone/Structure: The overall mood/tone in my opinion is a very soothing voice. This goes hand and hand with the imagery that is used, but while reading the poem, it gives me a very nostalgic feeling.
Something that stood out to me was the use of specific words like "October sky" or "butterscotch candy". It tells us that author is very personal about the poem

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Theme: one able to accept loss and the other unable to by committing suicide

Figurative Language: "bathroom tub that received her petite frame like a large porcelain seashell" is a simile, "blush of crimson whispered from her mouth" is also personification

Mood/Tone/Structure: The mood of the poem is gloomy and pessimistic. Reading this poem doesn’t make you feel happy but rather down.

Stood Out:

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Poem # A Baby's Head is Its Own Crown (page #12)

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Poem # A Baby's Head is Its Own Crown (page #12)

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This poem walks readers through a family experiencing the process that is child birth. The theme of this poem is patience, and that even if something starts out bad, things can turn around for the better.. The tone is intense in the first section, and relief for the second , and the mood is . The author uses personification and symbolism, comparing the baby to many fruits, such as a melon, a planet and a pastry. She also compared alot of different body parts to inanimate objects. This poem stood out to my group because it shows that childbirth isn't all positive. There are challenges and pain that comes with everything, but eventually it begins to get better.

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Theme/Message: The melancholy associated with dying in February alone, with no hand to hold. As the title suggests, this poem is about John Keats, a poet who devoted his whole life to poetry but died at a young age. The "dying in February alone, with no hand to hold" refers to John Keats' short life.

Literary Devices: Imagery, Repetition, Mood, Tone, Diction, Syntax.

What Stood Out: The author's use of the literary devices listed above to create a somber feeling is something that stood out to me. If the author did not include those, the reader would feel little to no emotions. This feeling created by the author to highlight the solitude in John Keats' death is what makes the reader want to read more. This poem is very well crafted.

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The premise of this poem is how we as humans go through so much on the daily, yet we aren't allowed to show it on the outside. Every time we need to venture outside, we put on the facade that everything is day, despite the fact that there is so much on our mind. The tone of this poem is gloomy and dark, giving the reader the feeling that something is wrong. Seale compares emotions to baggage, and she says she's going insane trying to carry it around. This poem stood out to us because it is something that almost everyone goes through. Having to suppress what they're truly feeling in order to function in society is a universal experience, yet so damaging. This poem resonated with us because its something we have experienced.

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Theme/Message: The longing/frustration to feel something or anything and the craving to hear the things that matter most is what will bring you the most peace. He seems more lost than anything
Tone/Mood/Structures: He uses many types of word structures like rhymes, and repetition of phrases after each stanza. For example "tomorrow and sorrow or refreshed and left" He uses his words carefully and emotionally to make you feel what he describes like, "My ear was cleared, my limbs refreshed."
Figurative Language: There is a lot of imagery/figurative language in each line alone. He sets it in 3 different parts of the day. Each of these seems more sadness and sorrow but also relief in some words. For example "I was a life form freed and left." He talks a lot about weeping and letting go of emotion in the morning and then in the day he’s not even thinking about tomorrow, and then the night he feels content and weeps in relief.

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Title: Wind (Circa 1880, West Texas)
Theme & Message: I think the author is trying to convey how powerful Texas wind can be.
Figurative Language: He uses a hyperbole in line 3, and biblical references in line 4, 5, & 8. He uses a metaphor in line 6.The he uses personification at the end of stanza two. He uses imagery in stanza 3. As well as more hyperboles, metaphors, and personification.
Diction, structure, repetition, setting, rhythm,  rhymes, tone & mood: The poem is structured in 3 stanzas with 6 lines in each. The authors diction and tone can be described as drastic, it seems like he is trying to tell the power of win by scaring you with terrifying imagery. The poem is set in West Texas. He doesn’t rhyme or have a noticeable rhythm.
Stood out & connections: Line 4,5, & 8 really stood out to me because I have a lot of biblical knowledge especially with theological terminology, so I was able to make the connection from the poem to my own personal life.

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The message of this poem is that even though we may look perfect on the outside, on the inside we are all human. Nothing is the "beauty standard" at all times. She describes the belles as people that are devoted to their beauty and image. The tone of this poem portrays the girls to be of grace and elegance, until the end where they show themselves out of the light. It reminded me of the pageant world and debutants, as the competitors try to look as appealing as possible. However, when we all go home those girls are just as human and flawed (which ix perfectly okay) as we are.

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Poem: University Student (page #114-115)

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Poem: University Student (page #114-115)

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Theme/message: Describing a lonesome university student in a dorm who longs for love and a purpose in life.
Figurative Language: the poem contains various metaphors comparing how stray the student feels in a vast world such as correlating the student to a "meaningless fish lost in a meaningless pond."
Mood/tone/structure: the tone seems to be reflective and pessimistic. The first, third, and last stanzas begin with a repetition of "Say a prayer for the student/his mother". Each stanza has 8 lines and every even line number (2,4,6,8) rhymes.
Connections: For some particular reason, the mother in the poem stands out because it completes the full circle of how a family, and not only the student, is affected when one goes on to live independently. This poem without a doubt connects to all the students who leave their homes to find their own life path but can't escape the roaming feelings of being homesick, lonely, and wishing for a helping hand.

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Madonna and Child
Theme/Message:
A homeless woman is outside a cathedral for hours with her baby begging for money. This shows that even in her time of need she still has faith and beliefs.

Literary Devices:
Metaphor: "The cathedral rises from the earth like the sheer rock face of a mountain" (Line 1) In this line the poet compares a cathedral to a mountain because of how large and grand it is.
Metaphor:"...reaching through a fold her cupped, clawed hand, lifeless and a wooden ladle" (Line 7) In this line the poet compares a woman's hand to a wooden lade because the woman's hand feels cold and lifeless.

Poem Elements:
The setting of this poem is in the winter, at night, outside of a cathedral.
The mood of the poem feels somber because the main character is in an unfortunate situation.

What Stood Out:
What stood out to me was that the woman was silent the entire time she was outside asking for money.

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Poem 5 (page 66) Lake Lady Dancing On The Hill

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Poem 5 (page 66) Lake Lady Dancing On The Hill

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After All These Years, Page 73. The theme of this poem is that the age of a person or object is not indicative of its beauty or value. In this poem, the author uses simile to compare an old Duesenburg to a newer car such as a Ferrari to emphasize the point that it can still have value. Furthermore, he uses metaphors to compare the old car to an old actress, emphasizing the fact that old people or objects can still be mesmerizing. The tone of this poem is optimistic, as it manages to recognize things that would otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. What stood out to me in the poem was that despite the valuable cars like Bugatis, Porches and Ferraris surrounding the old Duesenburg, this old vehicle still manages to have a positive impact on its beholder.

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Poem # Lovers Quarrel With an Aloe (page #32) 

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Poem # Lovers Quarrel With an Aloe (page #32) 

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The theme of this poem is the peaks and depths of relationships. We believe that she is comparing the aloe to an abusive spouse, prickly the thorns being their arguments. The poem's rhyme scheme is ABAB, causing the lines and ideas to flow one after the other. The thorns show the pain the partner inflicts upon her, but she too says things that cause him pain. She uses the knife to cut the aloe to symbolize her hurting him as well. In the end the end up helping each other "as she smears the aloe on the tear". The mood of this poem is dramatic yet sorrowful, feeling as is it wont get better. We think this poem describes real life experiences. Even though the end it seems that they made up, it is nothing but a viscous cycle.

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Message: The message in this poem is that there is comfort in having shelter and protection and finding where you belong.

Imagery and Symbolism: This poet uses a lot of imagery to describe the home. For example, in the first line, the author describes where the home is built, which is in the forest. The next line says that the home is strong enough to hear songbirds which readers can imagine the sound that surrounds the home. The home is a symbol of comfort and belonging. The author has somebody to love and be with and an intimate home where love grows.

Diction: The diction in this poem is certainly poetic with the choice of rhyming words and rhythmic design.

Setting:This poem is set in the woods surrounded by nature. The home is set to be cozy and warm that is filled with love and peacefulness.

Repetition:This poet uses repetition of inclusive words like We and Our to signify that he is talking to the person he was longing for in the past poems. The poet uses ABAB rhyming further enhancing the cohesion of the poem.

Rhyme: The first and the third stanza start with the same line to bring the reader back to the main message.

Mood and Tone:The words written by the poet creates a warm and comforting mood for the reader. The author sets a tone of intimacy inviting readers into the “home” he has built with the person he was longing for.

Personal: The feeling the poem gave me stood out to me. I felt comforted and felt invited to such an intimate place. I can connect this home in the poem to my home currently. My home is comforting and everyone is welcomed. We host gatherings and parties for family and friends to share love and time with one another. My home gives protection from the outside world that may want to put me down. The people I live with, my family, unconditionally loves me like the person that the poet has in the poem.

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Mishell Santos, Giana Sanjay, Stephanie Arredondo

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Jackie Martinez
Sarah Ruiz
Bryan Chavira

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Leah Mclemore, Caitlyn Brewster, Christian Estrada

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James Hoggard is an author of 16 books and was even a professor at Midwestern State University. He was born in Wichita Falls, Texas to Reverend Earl and Mrs. Helen Hoggard. Throughout his life he received many awards like the Texas Poet Laureate and the National Endowment for the Arts Grant. He sadly passed away at 79 on February 23, 2021. But the legacy he left will always be cherished!

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The poem is about how life is full of wonders and signs that  are hidden which lead to miraculous experiences that full on carry on the life aspect of living even though they rarely occur in his world.The intended figurative language is used to portray the author’s confusion in the end. Author’s theme in the poem is how signs are the drive he needs to live his life too it’s fullest.The mood is hopeful in a way that the author uses signs to fuel his life.What I found interesting in the poem is how the author looks at little signs in his world and puts them into his life so that it is forever ongoing and never forgotten and made as an impactful moment in his life

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Paul Ruffin is a Texas State University System Regents' Professor and Distinguished Professor of English at Sam Houston State University. He is the author of two novels, six collections of short stories, five books of nonfiction prose, and seven collections of poetry and the editor or coeditor of fifteen other books.

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This poem expresses in my opinion seeing a loved one in a casket and the emotions it brings. How the memories flood in while looking at their body being still and comprehending that they are gone. I see imagery being used since the poet describes stroking the breadth of your brow. This creates an ability to view what he means and how it made him feel. What i found interesting about this poem is that it can be interpreted in many different ways and at the end of the day no one really knows the authors reasoning for writing it. I like this poem since it’s open and makes everyone have an open idea.

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The character is angry and uses his Dad’s car in order to escape that intense emotion. Using the rush of speed it helps him to release it that anger. Using the words “chest thrust out, nostrils flared” symbolizes anger. The idea that this is normal behavior for the boy is presented by  saying that “he is boy, built for speed, for running this down or over.” He is used to feeling this anger and using speed as a way to process and control this feelings. Stating that he is boy is also presented in a way that since that is his gender that others who are of that same gender can relate with his emotion & how he chooses to express it. The expression of a feeling in a way that I can always try and visualize is what stood out the most to me.

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A child is going through an intense battle with their health almost seeming as though a demon is in her. This poem uses imagery in the sentences “she heaves against the weight the weight that presses her to the bed- watching her body burn and twist.” This allows me to visualize the child struggling immensely with her health in bed. The structure of the poem continues to describe the pain that the child is continuously while trying to fight her sickness making it seem that she may not get better.

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The teacher spent 35 years going through a the trenches of teaching high school students & finally reaching her breaking point and chooses to retire at 60. Using the statement "like a dusty childless toy" this allows the comparison of the teacher to be seen as worn out and left alone to stay that way. The tone of this poem makes you feel sorry for the English teacher, while hoping that her retirement will allow her to have a less miserable life. Reading this poem makes me think about my career choice in the future in hopes that I will never feel this way.

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Celibacy is a choice but the world has made is seem as though women are designed to be other than that & instead of a choice it is a women’s birthright. The line "you are bone and flesh, designed to breed" shows that whether celibacy can be seen as a choice it also has the weight of not fully being seen as that way. This poem compares material beauties and how a choice between the expected route of the world and a personal choice of celibacy can be the difference in how your life will go.

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A son is trying to comprehend the understanding the idea communion and what it means for his faith of God which his father sees & and is inspired by his sons larger faith. The description of the process of communion that the son recreates in his own manner pictures his passion for understanding and resonating with the process.

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This poem talks about how the loss of his mother would affect him and his world. I can definitely agree that grief is a journey and it’s something that is unexplainable. The overall theme of this poem is how he wishes he could do more for his mother but just wait for her time to leave. He thinks of what will happen once she’s gone and the pain he will have. The mood is confusion, and just hanging in there. He’s trying to have his last moments with his mother while also understanding that soon she will not be there. I imagine his mind is going through a bullying thoughts every second. What stood out to me was the line “I only know i’ll squeeze my mothers hand and kiss her when i leave.” The reason this stood out to me was because research shows that the last thing you still have when you die is sense of touch and that reminded me of that.

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He talks about the time where he made the worst decision in his life that resulted in him having nothing after.
"To go crazed that night on a drunk for the hot and anonymous touch of two things I became pig to." The exact moment where he knew what he did would not be able to be taken back after that. This stance was the hook of the poem and made everything else fall along.
The mood of the poem is that he feels upset with himself,  and extreme regret over what he did. ".. and the bulge of my neck- knot now tells me the frenzy was sham." You can feel it throughout the poem that he is just going around and around with his thoughts, not knowing what he can do next.
What I found interesting about this poem was that even if it was complex in its own way you could understand the frustration and saddest of the man over the decision that he made to ruin his life.

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Describes the power of love to make two fall for each other whenever they were just supposed to be a secret and it was all seen in a third point of view.
"Leaning together they'd try to believe they were more than cliches."  They wanted to deny their love but it was meant to be.
The mood of the poem is sadness and a mutual feeling of not knowing what to do next with their feelings due to it being a secret.
I found this poem to be a bit short but really adorable due to how it made you feel like it could be but don't know until you know more.

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Arthur L. Wood
Is young a poet from the UK.  "Poems from Susan" is his first self-published book. Is an actor now in the UK that loves Shakespree.

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The theme of the poem is that love can blind you.
The metophors used in this poem indicate that the author will do anything for love. The repetition in the word "glory" shows that the author will only live for their love.
The mood is positive towards his love to disappointment in his life.
What stood out to us was that he sacrificed everything for love and yet his love destroyed his heart.

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Love is more important than money.
He uses metophors that refrence money, hate, love to indicate he values the emotional state of things.
His mood is depressed from other's opinions and his desire for love.
This takes place either in the present or past of the poem.
The thing that stood out to us was how he feels about life.

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The theme is love can grow to be stable.
The idiom in line 1 shows that the author looks up to important poets. The word "they" represents the poets the author likes.
The last line stood out to me because it's more hopeful and happy about love.

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The message is to know the importance of other's and their presence.
Literary Devices: The ancient castle wastle is a metophor to show how strong the relationship they built is. The doves represents the author and his lover which is personafication.
The letter w in will stood out because it was in the middle of the line and helps us understand that they were not prepared for the future.

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The theme is that things happen unexpectly.
The auhtor uses simile to compare himself to a dove which helps readers understand he is lost. His regret of being born stoodout to us because he showed his strong emotions to readers.