Variatons on the Word Sleep

The poem was very touching and nice. I liked the way it was written and the stanza distribution which made it even more unique. The similes and metaphors used in the poem also contributed to making it more meaningful and touching. My favorite verses were:

 I would like to follow

you up the long stairway 

 

For me, those two verses portrayed a powerful metaphor. I interpreted the stairway to be a symbol of life, and that he would like to be with his loved one every step of the way whether it took them up or down. All in all, I think the poem provided us with a good image and representation on the use of similes and metaphors in poetry and writing in general.

Neruda, Ode to My Socks

I found this poem to be bit funny. The fact that the writer actually wrote a whole poem on socks is something that I personally find humorous yet also genius. Although I usually prefer poems that rhyme, I found this one to work perfectly well without it. My favorite verses are:

beauty is twice beauty

and what is good is doubly good

I specifically liked those although they did not fully relate to socks because it touches on another metaphoric representation of socks which is the beauty and glory of having more than one thing; just like with socks. 

Cathedral

The short story Cathedral, was -in my opinion- very powerful. Although it portrays communication between two men one of which is blind, it does not abide to the stereotypical misconceptions of blind people. The blind man is conveyed as very intelligent and determined. As a reader, i felt respect towards him, not pity, which is the emotion usually induced by such stories.  Something that I found really interesting was the twist created. The wife's best friend is the blind man, which makes her husband jealous, yet at the same time feel superior. It portrays the typical man-woman story, although this time, the superiority was more of "in your face". rather than implied throughout the story. 

Post-Secret Poem

The Secret: I'm 17 years old and I still watch Disney movies...

Source: http://www.sixbillionsecrets.com/top/8 - PIhlC5LGbi88smXl.99

A Dream of Disney

The sparkle in their eyes.

The purity of their smiles.

It’s a world of love and wonder.

It takes me above and under.

They judge me for sitting among them.

They tell me I have a problem.

What they don’t understand is the truth.

We all drank from the fountain of youth.

A child develops and grows.

Then as adult he assumes he knows.

That life is more serious than thought.

In mundane living he gets caught.

Yet the truth lies in the dark.

When no one is there he makes a remark.

Childhood never fades.

Even if it hides in the shades.

I sit with my young siblings around the screen.

Disney is our final frontier.

We travel to its world of fantasy.

Where a cleaner can be called her majesty.

I’m old enough to be more than a teen.

Yet in my heart I carry this dream.

In a world of wishes and pixy dust.

Nothing will ever come to rust.

I might be seventeen.

But Disney is my world theme.

A world where wishes come true.

A world where I belong only to you. 

Exercise: External Conflict

It was another typical Saturday night and I was sleeping over at my best friend’s place. We watched a horror movie then went to sleep. Suddenly, we a weird and unfamiliar cracking sound that woke us both up. We walked to the window and sneaked a peak to see someone standing outside the house. My friend noticed the gun in his hand and fearfully took a step back. Her father was home, but she was afraid to go up to the second floor where he slept. We heard the same cracking sound again but this time it was louder and closer. I went to the window again, and it was clear to me that he was trying to break in. the lights at the porch reflected on his shiny leather jacket in a familiar way. My friend gathered her courage and reached for the baseball bat. She hid behind the door waiting to hit him on his head as soon as he goes in. Feeling uncomfortable with the familiarity of his jacket, I looked through the window again to realize that the burglar was my brother. 

Separation From Illusions

From between the autumn trees, she slowly got out of her place of solitude. She walked around and tried to make sure no one has seen her. In a moment of sadness, and terror, she decided to run to her last place of hope. She looked around her again and could feel the freshness of the cold air go through her lungs decontaminating all feelings of horror, and grief. She walked away from her own place of solitude, and with every step forward, her mind traveled backwards.
The past was so overwhelming and magnificent it could not be erased. She tried to move on, to forget, and to deny, but it’s power was like gravity, pulling back into the memories, back into the laughs and eventually back into the tears.
Some things are just meant to be. Some things are for the best and benefit of all, but she wished the circumstances were different.
She walked away and tried not to look back because if she did, she will resort back to the forbidden solitude. The melancholic nostalgia felt in her heart was huge yet the ambiguity of what is to come ahead haunted her. She tried accepting the fact that some things are better when they are over. She tried accepting that her place of solitude will now become a place from history. She tried, but the uncontrollable tears failed her.

Yesterday

Yesterday, everything seemed too good to be true. We acted as if our days left here are almost endless. We didn’t worry about the tomorrow that is to come. We laughed, fooled around, and we shared precious moments that are filled with simplicity by which we took no thought of tomorrow. When we woke up the next day though, everything seemed so different. It seemed as if we woke up finding ourselves living in a parallel world where everything is the opposite of how it used to be.  The days of fooling around were starting to become history; and simplicity started to become something we lack. It all seemed overwhelming and it was as if our days of living for the moment were just an introduction to what it coming ahead.