Which Parent Will I Be? - Unknown Author
To Paint a Water Lily - Ted Hughes
The Beautiful Changes - Richard Wilbur
We Real Cool - Gwendolyn Brooks
Sudden Journey - Tess Gallagher
The Clock - Daniel Tobin
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
Mr. Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
Hug O' War - Shel Silverstein
"We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks, was a very short, and blunt poem. The language was very easy and I enjoyed the direct message it made. It basically talks about how a bunch of pool players spend their days "lurking late. striking straight, and sing in sin." They also down gin habitually and abandoned school in the past. The poem repeats itself by starting each line with "We," and the action follows. The pool players consider their actions to be cool, but in the last line, the speaker admits that by living this lifestyle, they will "die soon." I have never really come across a poem that speaks as straightforward and matter-of-fact as this one, and I thought it was great.
I also read the poem "Which Parent Will I Be," by an unknown author. The poem compares neighboring homes, and the manner in which each set of parents "celebrates" their children. In the first home, both the mother and father do not show appreciation for the hard work that their children put forth. The first stanza shows this: "I got two A's," the small boy cried. His voice was filled with glee. His father very bluntly asked, "Why didn't you get three?"
In the neighboring house, the same situation occurs, yet this boy's father reacts with love and admiration. "I got two A's," the small boy cried, His voice was filled with glee. His father very proudly said, "That's great, I'm glad you belong to me." This is a perfect example of how children feel neglect from their parents, and illustrates how a mother, or father figure should really treat their children.
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