S+Powell


 * Wiki Poetry Project **
 * Spencer Powell **

** Robert Frost (1874-1963) ** Robert Lee Frost grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts with his mother and grandfather. After graduating high school, Frost attended Dartmouth for a few months but decided that college was not for him. He began to write soon after this and married Elinor White in 1895. Frost longed to be an accomplished writer but could not seem to get any progress here in America. In 1912 Frost took his wife and six children and moved to England to try and succeed as a writer. England is where Frost had his first collection of poems published and this eventually led to him becoming a very successful poet. Eventually Frost moved back to the United States and purchased a farm for him and his family. However, he was in for a lot of grief and depression after this because his wife died in 1938. Also, he lost four of his children. Two of these deaths were due to mental breakdowns and another to suicide. After the deaths of his wife and children, Frost began to still write as he traveled to many places. He ends up dieing on January 29, 1963. In today’s society many consider Robert Frost to be America’s best poet.

** The Flood **

by Robert Frost Blood has been harder to dam back than water. Just when we think we have it impounded safe Behind new barrier walls (and let it chafe!), It breaks away in some new kind of slaughter. We choose to say it is let loose by the devil; But power of blood itself releases blood. It goes by might of being such a flood Held high at so unnatural a level. It will have outlet, brave and not so brave. Weapons of war and implements of peace Are but the points at which it finds release. And now it is once more the tidal wave That when it has swept by leaves summits stained. Oh, blood will out. It cannot be contained.

Basically what this poem is doing is depicting blood as a flood that will always be let lose. The poem starts out with a comparison between blood and water. Frost states that blood can be harder to contain than water because it is always going to be let lose no matter what a person does to stop it. The term “slaughter” is used to refer to some type of action such as murder that will allow blood to be split. The poem goes on to talk about how the devil is simply not the cause of all the blood, but the fact that the need for blood will always allow it to exist. Then, it discusses how the flood has been built up so much that it has to be released somehow. The outlet is what causes the blood to be released. The outlet can be something that is considered bad such as war or good such as peace. The poem concludes with a statement about leaves that summit stains. This refers to the fact that some of the blood will be left behind to show what has happened. An example of this could be a war battlefield.

My person reaction to this poem is that Frost is right in the point he is trying to convey. He wants people to realize that blood will always be present in a person’s life. Events such as death are going to happen no matter how much you do not want them to. A person has to deal with this realization and learn to adapt to the hardships that come along with it.

** Langston Hughes (1902-1967) **

Hughes started writing poetry when he was in the eighth grade. His father paid for him to attend Columbia University to study engineering, but Hughes decided to pursue his writing career instead. Most of Hughes’ poems center around African American culture like his first published poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” This poem allowed Hughes to become a well-known writer in the African American community. After traveling for many years, Hughes purchased a home in Harlem, New York in 1924, a time period often referred to as the “Harlem Renaissance.” During this time period Hughes wrote many poems and continued to strive as a writer. By the end of his career, Hughes had written sixteen books of poetry and two novels. Today he is considered to be the most well-known Harlem Renaissance writer.

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**Merry-Go-Round**

by Langston Hughes

Where is the Jim Crow section On this merry-go-round, Mister, cause I want to ride? Down South where I come from White and colored Can't sit side by side. Down South on the train There's a Jim Crow car. On the bus we're put in the back— But there ain't no back To a merry-go-round! Where's the horse For a kid that's black?



This poem is about a young, black child that is asking a man where he is supposed to sit on a merry-go-round. The poem takes place during a time in America where blacks and whites were segregated. The poem starts out with the boy asking where the Jim Crow section of the merry-go-round is. The term “Jim Crow” refers to places that are specifically designated for black people during this time period. The young boy then goes on to talk about how he is always segregated from white people. He cannot sit beside a white person, he has to ride in a black-only car, and he has to sit in the back of a bus. The poem then concludes with the boy asking the man where he is supposed to sit. I really like this poem a lot because it shows the true feelings of Langston Hughes towards the treatment of his fellow African Americans. I believe that Hughes is simply making fun of the segregation laws in his poem. The young boy in the poem knows that he can probably just sit wherever he wants but simply chooses to make a scene about it. Many people would consider this child to be what most call a “smart-aleck.” Hughes is pointing out the fact there is a specific section for blacks in basically everything except for a merry-go-round. I feel as if white people during this time period would have found this poem to be upsetting, which is exactly what Hughes wanted to achieve.

** Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) **

Clifton grew up in Buffalo, New York and showed a lot of promise at a young age. She graduated from high school when she was sixteen and went on to attend Fredonia State Teachers College. Lucille loved to write and got a huge break when she was awarded the YW-YMCA Poetry Center Discovery Award. This award allowed her to get some exposure and eventually led to her poetry collection, Good Times, getting published in 1969. This poetry collection received praise throughout the nation, and the New York Times named it one of the best books of the year. Clifton then used her success to become a professor at many well-known colleges such as Saint Mary’s and Duke. At the end of her career, Clifton was one of most well-known poets in the world. Some of her achievements include four Pulitzer Prize nominations for poetry and a National Book Award.

** wishes for sons **

by Lucille Clifton



i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. i wish them no 7-11.

i wish them one week early and wearing a white skirt. i wish them one week late.

later i wish them hot flashes and clots like you wouldn't believe. let the flashes come when they meet someone special. let the clots come when they want to.

let them think they have accepted arrogance in the universe, then bring them to gynecologists not unlike themselves. This poem is basically about a mother wishing that her sons would experience woman problems. The first stanza is talking about how women get cramps caused by their menstrual cycle. The mother wishes that her sons would experience these cramps and be in a strange town with only one tampon left and no 7-11. She wants them to know how awful it feels to be in this kind of situation where you do not know anybody and there is not a place you can go to get more tampons. The second stanza talks about how a woman sometimes has her menstrual period early. The mother wants her sons to experience the humiliation that comes with this. The last line of the stanza is referring to pregnancy. Clifton then goes on to write about how women have hot flashes and clots. She wants these two symptoms to come when her sons are around a special person to let them know how uncomfortable a situation it can be. The last part of the poem talks about how women have to go to gynecologists. The mother wishes that her sons could experience such an awkward experience such as this.

To me this poem shows how much women have to go through. It made me think about how men have it a lot easier than women do when it comes to their bodies. We do not have to deal with all these awkward and humiliating situations that women do. I think that it would be good for men to experience these situations because it would make them more aware of what it means to actually be a woman. I know that I have a lot more respect for women after reading this poem.

** Countee Cullen (1903-1946) **

Cullen grew up in New York City and started writing poetry at the young age of 14. In 1922 he decided to attend New York University to pursue his dream of writing. While attending the University, Harper made great strides in his writing career. He had some of his poetry published in magazines and won awards for his poem, “Ballad of the Brown Girl.” A lot of his early poetry earned him respect in the black community. However, his later publishing’s did not focus on black culture as much and this upset the black community. Cullen was from a primarily white community and did not have as much insight into the typical black background. Despite his criticisms, he is still considered to be a great poet in today’s society.

** Incident **

by Countee Cullen



Once riding in old Baltimore, Heart-filled, head-filled with glee, I saw a Baltimorean Keep looking straight at me. Now I was eight and very small, And he was no whit bigger, And so I smiled, but he poked out His tongue, and called me, "Nigger." I saw the whole of Baltimore From May until December; Of all the things that happened there That's all that I remember.

This poem takes place during the time period in America where racial prejudices were very strong. Basically, the poem is about a young, black boy that is called a “nigger” when he went to Baltimore. The first stanza explains how the boy went to Baltimore in a good mood and saw a Baltimore resident looking at him. Then, the second stanza goes on to tell how the black boy is very young and small and that the Baltimorean is about the same age and size. Even though the black boy gives a friendly smile to the Baltimorean, the Baltimorean calls him a nigger. This stanza serves to show how young, white kids in that time period were taught to think of black people as inferior beings. The white kid does not know the black kid but chooses to show him disrespect anyway. The last stanza talks about how the black boy does not remember anything about Baltimore except the indecent with the young, white boy. This shows the reader that this small incident impacted the black boy in a big way. He sees all of Baltimore and still cannot get over the fact that most white people can be so judgmental due to his race.

This poem shows me how hard it must have been for young, black kids during this time period. They had to constantly deal with being outcasts in their everyday lives. For a young person that has to be really tough mentally. They had to learn to just accept that they were going to have hardships and learn to not let these hardships affect them.

** Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) **

Roethke grew up in Saginaw, Michigan with his family. When he was only in high school, he gave a speech about the Red Cross that was published in 26 different languages. Roethke attended the University of Michigan and graduated at the top of his class. His family wanted him to earn a law degree, but he decided that he would pursue his dream as a writer. Roethke eventually found himself at Harvard University where he was able to learn from many great poets such as Robert Hillyer. In 1936 he began teaching at Pennsylvania State University, where he was able to get some of his poetry published. By the end of Roethke’s career his poetry had been published in many prestigious journals such as the New Republic and the Saturday Review.

** My Papa’s Waltz ** by Theodore Roethke The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt. This poem is about a drunken father playing with his son and putting him to bed. Roethke compares this playful act to a kind of waltz. The first stanza serves to let readers know that the father is in a drunken state, but the child still chooses to play with his father. Then, the second stanza goes on to talk about how the father and child make such a mess of the house as they are “waltzing,” and the mother has to just look on as her house is being destroyed. Next, Roethke lets the readers know how drunk the father really is because he has caused his son to become beaten throughout the playful act. The son has had his hand beaten and his ear scraped. Finally, the last stanza serves to show how the father lets the son know how late it is and takes him to his bed.

After reading this poem the first time, I immediately thought that Roethke was using this “waltz” to show how the father abuses his son. However, after reading the poem again a few times, I realized that the father is simply playing with his son. One big clue that helps you pick up on this is when Roethke puts in the line that states, “Still clinging to your shirt.” This serves to show how the boy still wants to play with his father. If this poem were about child abuse, the boy would have wanted to get away from his father as soon as possible.

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