What does the images in a poem do for us? Impact

Poetry is life changing. Poetry creates new beginnings. The poems I write always gave me a way to express myself when I felt no one would listen. I’ve been awaken out my sleep at 3:00 am 4:00 am and 5:00 am just to write a poem because the thoughts are overbearing. The will power in a poem creates images a “language that addresses the senses” (622). As a poet begins to deliver a poem people hear them out because they can visualize their personal real life scenarios from the given scenarios in the poem.  From my English 220 book “The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Tenth Edition” by Michael Meyer. The poem in which forced me to visualize the most images was Rudy Forman’s “Poetry Should Ride the Bus” (627-628).

 

 

poetry should hopscotch in a polka dot dress

wheel cartwheels

n hold your hand

when you walk past the yellow crack house

 

poetry should wear bright red lipstick

n practice kisses in the mirror

for all the fine young men with fades

shootin craps around the corner

 

poetry should dress in fine plum linen suits

n not be so educated that it don’t stop in

every now n then to sit on the porch

and talk about the comins and goins of the world

 

poetry should ride the bus

in a fat woman’s Safeway bag

between the greens n chicken wings

to be served with tuesday’s dinner

 

poetry should drop by a sweet potato pie

ask about the grandchildren

n sit through a whole photo album

on an orange plastic covered lazyboy with no place to go

 

poetry should sing red revolution love songs

massage your scalp

and bring hope to your blood

when you think you’re too old to fight

 

yeah

poetry should whisper electric blue magic

all the years of your life

never forgettin to look you in the soul

every once in a while

n smile

~ Ruth Forman

Just for fun I took a new approach at writing a similar poem about poetry using anger.

Poetry should push me down

Kick-jump martial art moves
Right into my ribs

Poetry should stomp me so far in the ground
That I will think I’m bound

My first
My last
My only love was poetry
And just like everything else I loved
I just wanted it to hurt me.
–Jessica