Tag: Poetry Discussion

Codes

We all talk of codes,

Codes that govern and dictate,                                                      

They also mitigate and castigate.

They I wonder, in any way, are they important?

Why must we have them?

Well, I believe that if I didn’t have such, I would not be up today.

I would not go anywhere.

I would not attend any meeting or seating.

I also believe that they are everywhere that I am in,

And I cannot escape. However,

They have stolen my freedom.

I am obliged to follow and follow.

And follow to the letter.The only way,

Way that my life can have a definition.

Hating them I do, but must follow.

Peter Monroe

Oh, Monroe,

Poor thing, what happened to him?

He was a good person.

He did not float. But,

Instead lived in a good way.

We all wished him well.

It was your Grace,

That misled him. Do you ever think?

Think that we will forgive you? No

He barked the wrong tree, and followed his heart,

Which was your dictation?

He is now in square one.

Back to the drawing board.

But all you could say, I had to let go.

Nemesis will get you Grace, Grace with no emotions or pity.

Blessed Hadassah

How blissfully, we remember,

The way that she touched our hearts,

With a tender touch,

And beauty lie that of a blazing sun,

Making us coil with passion.

Passion that ate through our souls,

Making us have the need to recount,

The moments that we had with her.

We wished to be with her,

Then we fought,

A cold war, war of words, ears,

War that did not hurt anyone. However,

He outdid us, with charm.

And roses, jasmines, and poetry

Poetry made him win

Win hearts, and the heart.

How we wished he were not our friend.

We were not betrayed though.

Poem Analysis

Codes

In codes, I find a clear understanding after reading it twice. The poem is not clear at first but reading it once more offers a light scope. In addition, the poem has hidden meaning that requires one to discern more. This is the author intention to make his audience read over more times to enhance understanding. The title captures what the poem in its entirety, codes. One may be inquisitive on what they are. The codes are seen to have the ability to deal with the persona and dictate how he lives and does his activities. For instance, the author says that one cannot do anything without them and even attending daily chores is hard. Moreover, codes also “makes things better, which is mitigation, and punish, which is castigation.” The author argues that codes have also stolen freedom from the persona whereas he has nothing to do with them. The poet is talking about the codes of morality that govern life. He says that they are everywhere, which is to mean that they cut across all gender, race, and culture.

The poet has had the poem in first person point of view, which is important in improving the explication, as he addresses the issue. The title is clear and enabled one to get to know what the poem is all about. Personification is used when the poet says “codes are seen to mitigate, castigate, and dictate. They have also stolen.” All this are human attributes. There is also the use repetition of “I” in lines 7, 8 and 9. The poem is a free verse and does not follow any patterns of rhyme and rhythm.

Peter Monroe

The poem is made clear when one gets to read it three times, as the first reading gives the scope on a light note. The poem is about Monroe, who is misled and betrayed by her friends. His life has been good, and he has been following rules of life, without flouting any. However, he is attached to Grace and falls in love. He invests in her but is betrayed at last. Grace leaves him, as proof that he has wasted the life of Peter Monroe.

The poem is presented as a second person and third person omniscient point of view. The poet uses the second person when refereeing to Grace, while third on Monroe. This is important as it makes ideas presented to us much clearly. The tone that is used is bitter, as the persona is not happy about what Grace has done to Monroe. There is the use of irony, in the last line, where we have Grace with no emotions. The irony is that we expect Grace to have positive attributes, but she is negative instead. Nemesis has also been personified.

Blessed Hadassah

The poem is free verse, which talks about a beautiful girl that is affiliated to many. She touches the hearts of many. After a close reading, we get to understand that the persona was in a group of men, who wished to be with her. She is so affectionate that she makes them coil with passion. All are attracted to her and try to win her, in a war that is not physical but for her love. One of their friends outdoes them with poetry, charm, and gifts, winning the girl.

The poem is presented in the first-person point of view, which is important in voicing the idea of the group that the persona is in. The title is symbolic, as it is used to demonstrate of a beautiful girl. The poet also employs some aspect of biblical allusion. Blessed Hadassah was a name used to show a very beautiful girl in the Bible. The poet has also employed the use of simile, where the beauty of the girl is compared to that of a blazing sun. The tone of the persona is filled with envy, as he and his friends have lost a girl to one of their friends.