Slow Children at Play by Cecilia Woloch

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/112.html

Reaction- I enjoyed this poem because it was relatable. Living in a small, tight community has shown me that there are various types of family structure and behaviors. When Woloch mentioned the different types, I immediately thought of the families I know personally.

Meaning- Woloch is comparing two types of families- one who lives a repetitive, structured life and one who lives a free life. Society today wants you to live a certain way, like going to play outside, coming home for dinner when father gets home, and washing your hands, which Woloch mentions. That is an example of a "quick" family. Woloch thinks families should instead be "slow" and feel free to do whatever without a structure. Families don't always have to know when dinner is being served, where the father is, or where the children are. Families should be "infinite", not have to worry about what happens next, and are happier.

Structure- Imagery was a main part of the poem. It was easy to picture the types of families. This was a free verse poem with language that was very easy to understand.

Tuesday 9:00 AM by Denver Butson

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/147.html

Reaction- After first reading this poem, I thought that it was extremely intense. Each character scenario shows how they are suffering in some way. However, I felt that the last part of the poem did not flow with the rest well.

Meaning- Destruction and nervousness were the first things that came to my mind after I read the poem. One character is "has fire" all over him, one is "drowning", and one is "frozen". I think that these metaphors have to do with each individual's lives and how tragic they are. I like this poem because of its indirect way of showing how upset the characters are. Not only are they upset with themselves, but are uncomfortable communicating with one another. Also, because it is a weekday morning, the characters could be nervous to face their day at work. The bus driver is probably either a higher power or a spectator, amazed by how upset and torn the characters are.

Technique- This poem was easy to understand and had vocabulary that I knew. It is a free verse poem that is separated into four stanzas and does not have any punctuation. The only punctuation is a period at the very end of the poem. The first word of each line, however, is capitalized. Each stanza talks about the story of one character. The last stanza however, talks about them all boarding a bus together, with a bus driver observing them, which goes against the single person pattern. There are many metaphors used in the poems and uses imagery well. Also, the poem does not rhyme.