Tyler+M.

Life choice poems

@Untitled

@i laced my shoes with sorrow and walked a weary road dead end streets don't come undone with @double knots

wing tipped shoes that walk on air through vacant lots

by Saul Williams

@I Never Saw a Moor

I never saw a moor, I never saw the sea; Yet know I how the **@heather** looks, And what a wave must be.

I never spoke with God, Nor visited in heaven; Yet certain am I of the spot As if the chart were given. by Emily Dickinson

Geography Lesson

Our teacher told us one day he would leave the school And sail across a warm blue sea To places he had only known from maps, And all his life had longed to be.

The house he lived in was narrow and gray But in his mind's eye he could see And green leaves burning on an orange tree.
 * @Sweet-scented jasmine** @clambering up the walls,

He spoke of the lands he longed to visit, Where it was never drab or cold. And I couldn't understand why he never left, And shook off our school's stranglehold.

Then half-way through his final term he took ill and he never returned. And he never got to that place on the map Where the green leaves of the orange trees burned.

@The maps were pulled down from the classroom wall; His name was forgotten, it faded away. But a lesson he never knew he taught Is with me to this day.

I travel to where the green leaves burn, To where the ocean's glass-clear and blue, To all those places my teacher taught me to love - But which he never knew. by Brian Patten

These three poems all have to do with choices in life, however these poems are different in that some have to do with choices that involve action, some with conscious choices, and some with both. In the poem by Saul Williams, the life choice described is whether or not to dwell on the past which may be gloomy and bring you grief and in the end just make you an unproductive mess. The choice in __I Never Saw a Moor__ was whether or not to have faith in something, even if their is no solid proof. And the choice in __Geography Lesson__ is both, weather to persue your dreams without hesitation or wait and slowly watch them disapear and also weather to travel and learn and see new things or not. Another difference between the poems is that one tells a story while the other two get right down to making a point. All of these poems though, involve some very good imagery. Out of these three poems i would say that the poem that i enjoyed th emost and had the most effect on me was the one my Saul Williams. This poem had the most effect on me because I used to have the attitude displayed in the poem often and now that I have read this poem i realize that this attitude is not only ridiculous, but also selfish and unproductive, so now i do my best to stay away from that attitude.

Great job exploring each poem, Tyler, though you must proofread so that your reader is able to understand your ideas completely; mechanical errors might prevent your insights from getting all the respect they deserve. As well, I really appreciate that you connect the poems to your life and that you explore your reaction to the poems.