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🖋Writing Poetry Workshop # 2, Original Poem: Dulled Senses

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🖋Writing Poetry Workshop # 2, Original Poem: Dulled Senses

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Dulled Senses

She stares blankly,

Seemingly at nothing.

Her arms are lanky.

Her unawareness is groundbreaking.

She only listens absently,

She tries to talk, but ends abashedly.

She accepts things, passively.

What a people-pleaser!

Taking things so abidingly-

Can’t she speak?

Her attempts to express aren’t noticed simply.

She doesn’t even bother, always seeming…

Seeming so tongue-tied, muffled screaming.

Can’t she take it?

Why does nothing faze her?

Her thoughts stuck in her head, acridly.

She always hears this ringing.

Everyone else’s voices are so discriminating,

Is that why she listens so timidly?

One day, this banaled soul, this pushover, the subjectivizing…

Will all meet the dereliction of duty.

But by then, to put candidly,

It’ll be too late.

Forever- she’ll stare blankly.

Forever- she’ll listen absently.

Take things abidingly.

It’s the discriminating-

No, it’s the ringing-

NO- it was nothing.

Nothing fazes her.

Leave this feeble soul, and let her find meaning.

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Sonnet #27: Weary With Toil, I Haste To My Bed -Modern English

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Sonnet #27: Weary With Toil, I Haste To My Bed -Modern English

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Weary from travelling, I hasten to my bed – that welcome place of rest for limbs tired out from travel. But then another journey begins in my head that puts my mind to work after my body’s work has ended; because my mind begins another, arduous, trip, from far away from home, to where you are, keeping my drooping eyelids wide open. It makes them stare at darkness, as blind people do, except that my imagination makes me see your image, that hangs like a jewel in the black night and makes it beautiful, transforming its old face to a young one. Look, now! Because of you, neither my limbs by day, nor my mind by night, enjoy any rest.

My Take:
I believe that the theme of this poem is how people act when they're lovestruck. More specifically, the way that the person they are infatuated with, are always on their mind and how they start to see their image everywhere. In the modern English version, there is a part of the poem which translates into, "It makes them stare at darkness, as blind people do, except that my imagination makes me see your image." This quote describes the sort of obsession aspect of being lovestruck and how you will sometimes see them in everywhere and in everything. Another quote (this time from the original poem) describes how the person you are infatuated with, can make the world seem better or more beautiful in a way, the quote says, "Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new." Lastly, I wonder if Shakespeare was playing a character while writing this poem or if he was writing down what he was feeling. Overall, Shakespeare did an incredible job at describing what being lovestruck can do to you and how it can feel both fulfilling and draining at the same time.

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Sonnet #27: Weary With Toil, I Haste To My Bed

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Sonnet #27: Weary With Toil, I Haste To My Bed

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Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired:
For then my thoughts–from far where I abide–
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul’s imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new.
Lo! thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee, and for myself, no quiet find.

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He describes love as a fountain and a well in his poem.

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Poem Analysis/Why this is my favorite poem

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Poem Analysis/Why this is my favorite poem

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Poem: A Complaint by William Wordsworth

My favorite aspect of this poem is the theme. The theme is that losing someone you love (someone you care about in general, not just in a romantic sense) can be hurtful. The poem differs from most poems about love since it doesn't only talk about the romantic kind. It talks about the pain you have when you lose someone that is close to you (like a good friend). The poem also incredibly illustrates how such an experience can change your view on love and how we can cling onto the past. The metaphor for how he used to see love as a "fountain", something that flows calmly and seems hopeful, changes into a "well", something that is still and almost gloomy in a way. In addition, this poem reminds of a rainy day or when you go outside after it just finished pouring. The melancholy feeling of the poem gives me this impression. The beginning of the poem feels like a storm or flooding rain, but as it begins to subside, it turns into a sad, but almost beautiful, fresh day. Overall, this poem left a huge impact on me, and I liked how it differed from other poems on the subject of love.

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Title: Complaint, Author: William Wordsworth, and Year: 1807

Poem:

There is a change—and I am poor;

Your love hath been, nor long ago,

A fountain at my fond heart's door,

Whose only business was to flow;

And flow it did; not taking heed

Of its own bounty, or my need.

What happy moments did I count!

Blest was I then all bliss above!

Now, for that consecrated fount

Of murmuring, sparkling, living love,

What have I? shall I dare to tell?

A comfortless and hidden well.

A well of love—it may be deep—

I trust it is,—and never dry:

What matter? if the waters sleep

In silence and obscurity.

—Such change, and at the very door

Of my fond heart, hath made me poor.

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The Tedtalk called, "The Danger of a Single Story", by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, was about how not having different, and varying perspectives (only having the single story) can affect the way we perceive things. One example she gave was how her literature was influenced by her only exposure to books being British ones. Children are very impressionable and even though she had never been outside of Nigeria, her literature resembled British books and had many British influences. I found this very interesting, and it also showed how important it is to expand your viewpoint. In addition, she had a mental shift in her perspective on literature once she read some Nigerian books. Another point she brought up was how literature could reinforce a stereotype or get rid of it all together. She described how her roommate pitied her just because of her race and that she shouldn't be good at English. She also said that when you hear only one thing about a people, that's the only thing you will see them as. Having different perspectives and being exposed to a variety of information can expand your understanding and change the way you originally thought. Overall, literature can be used for good and bad. A story can harm the dignity of a race, but it can also restore it.

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The photos on the left are from when I went to Universal Studios for the first-time last week. The photos to the right are from when I went to a botanic garden.

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Overall, I felt like my spring break was fulfilling and refreshing. I got to have multiple new experiences. Firstly, I went to Universal Studios for the first time, and I went on their Jurassic Park ride (that's what the first photo shows). In addition to the Jurassic Park ride, I went on two Harry Potter themed rides. Also, I took a photo of their iconic globe at the entrance of the park. At some point during the break, I had some chili and I realized that chili isn't as spicy as I thought it would be. One of the last things I did over the break was go to a botanic garden. It had many different flowers and plants, but it was a lot of hiking/walking. Throughout the break, I spent more quality time with my family, and I was outdoors much more than usual. All these factors allowed me to rejuvenate myself and come back to school with a healthy mindset.