Caden
Poem Responses #3
Poem #1
The poem Rain, by Claribel Alegria is a poem of rain and sadness. She describes the rain pouring down in combination of flooding memories. I get the feeling she is reflecting on her childhood and is experiencing overwhelming grief. She speaks of a servant that told ghost stories and of the “purple-dark afternoon” that someone was leaving her forever. This seems to signify the death of a loved one, possibly one of her parents. Alegria goes on to write how the flood of memories showed her a voracious, senseless world, an abyss, but she continued to love it. “Continuing to love it” probably symbolizes growing up and moving on, still finding enjoyment in life after such a loss.
Poem #2
The poem Flying by Sarah Arvio describes the strange sense of confusion people get when they travel in an airplane. Passing through time zones is always a bit strange to the mind and body and the traveler experiences a period where they are momentarily “in between” times on long flights. She mentions “even the most seasoned traveler feels the baffled sense that nowhere else exists”. Arvio uses great imagery when she describes the cabin environment in the airplane. The reader feels as if they are aboard a flight as the read about dry cabin air, cramped seating and airline stewardesses serving drinks and passing out pillows. She describes cloud covers and the colors of the setting sun. This was not my favorite poem, but still interesting for a poem about flying.
