Thoughts on My Sky Diary

My Sky Diary, by Claire Bateman, goes on a nice deceptive little journey with the reader. It starts one way, talking about books and learning to read and write, and then it suddenly goes in a slightly more fantastical direction. Yes, its possible that the narrator speaking about sleeping under the desk and learning to write cursive surrounded by students and faculty are just metaphors and slight exaggerations on truth, but I tend to read poems as literal (its more fun that way). The content of the story was fun, and the words painted a pretty picture, but it got pretty heavy with metaphors and symbolism. It was like eating a chocolate chip cookie with too many chocolate chips: on one hand, its a yummy cookie, but there's just too much happening at once.

Final Thoughts on Internship in Literary Careers

My final thought was that I really enjoyed this class. I liked reading the different pieces people submitted, I liked editing them (for the most part), and I liked working with my fellow students.  I will be in the class again next semester, so I'm really looking forward to it. And, just because I can, here's a picture of my cat with her kitten.

Thoughts on House of Prayer

First impression: this story is weird. This impression doesn't change as I finished reading this story. I liked the way it was written, from the point of view of a young boy who isn't quite right in the head. The descriptions were so real and gritty and disgusting. I really felt bad for the boy narrator, but he seems rather accepting of his situation. Overall I liked it, weird as it is.

Anthology of Poetry

I'm not a crazy fan of poems. I prefer Dr. Seuss, but sadly he's not college level reading. So now I'm out to find five poems that not only interest me, but are pieces I can read and enjoy, without needing to read too deep into them.

Taken Up by Charles Martin
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19253

For starters, this one rhymed! When reading poetry, I find that makes it easier for me to follow along, to keep pace in my head.The scene the writing described is beautiful, and the tone is happy, light, even though its talking about alien abduction.

A Poison Tree by William Blake
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15524

Short, sweet, and to the point. Its about hate and revenge and in the end the author comes out on top. There's no happy ending for one of the characters.

All Hallows' Eve by Dorothea Tanning
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/243566

Its October, which means I and other like-minded folks are already thinking Halloween. And this is a great creepy spooky poem. The rhythm and beat are moving, and the content gives you chills and is creepy in a way most people don't expect.

The Universe: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Tracy K. Smith
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/243876

I'll admit, this one is weird. And in a way, beautiful. Its musical, its talking about the universe, and the imagery is stellar.

Furry Bear by A. A. Milne
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/241538

Every grown-up kid knows the author's name. None other than the creator of Winnie the Pooh. This poem isn't about the famous bear, but it is about a bear, and winter, and warmth. And its cute. Its a happy little poem that ends this whole thing on a high note.

Toast

Our Daily Toast, written by Brenda Miller, is a piece written by an older writer about her love of toast, but it easily could have been written by myself. Once again, I read this piece before it was assigned, because I was intrigued about the title and hesitantly hopeful that it actually was about toast, unlike some other deceptively titled works I've read (Horse Latitudes, I'm looking at you). And it was, and I was delighted, because I adore toast as much as the author. If I could get away with only eating toast I would; its literally the only food I cannot live without. I could really connect to the writer, because she completely and perfectly described how simply wonderful it is to eat toast. Its a sacred ritual for both of us - the choosing of bread, the waiting for it to brown, topping it with jam or just plain butter, and finally eating it. I don't have a dog to share toast with - and I'm not sure I'd want to share my toast anyway - but I do have parents and a sibling who always complained about the toast crumbs in the butter. And sometimes toast does lead to epiphanies, because it takes a while for bread to brown - especially for me, I like it dark - and there's a lot of time to stand around. The author writes in a very soothing manner, and that to me is exactly what toast is about. I can't really read too much into the writing because it really just clicked with me. And now, I'm going to finish typing, and go make some toast.

Thoughts on Nephilim

Nephilim by L. Annette Binder was about a lady in the seventies who had a condition where she grew incredibly tall. Not overly, just seven feet. It talks mostly about Freda's later years and her relationship with a young boy in the neighborhood as he grows up.
This was a decent story. Not my favorite so far, but it was okay in its own right. I liked reading about the lady's life more than reading about the nephilim - the Biblical giant creatures that Freda seems to associate with.
The little boy - Teddy - was written very well. There was a very clear little boy's voice in my head when I read his parts. Reading about the gold Gremlin was the best part. Both of my parents had that car as their first cars - my dad's was orange. Nothing says first 70s car like a Gremlin.
If there was any sort of underlying theme or intended purpose to this piece, I didn't pick up on it. I just enjoyed it as a story.

Thoughts on The Fifth of July

The Fifth of July by Nat Akin was published in Ecotone Journal in Fall 2007. The narrator tells about the afternoon after his grandmother's funeral. The scene starts with the grandfather picking corn in a field with his son helping him. The action then moves to shucking the corn in the carport with two great-aunts, the grandfather and father, and the narrator.

The father is clearly emotional, but trying to cover it up by being stoic. His actions all say that he deeply misses his newly-departed mother, and doesn't understand how the grandfather can calmly shuck corn after burying his wife. The grandfather is just as stoic, but in a much calmer way. He does have an outburst, but it's directed towards his sisters, and it doesn't seem to be a reaction towards his wife's death. The grandfather is very calm and emotionless about losing his wife, and that bothers the son.

At the end of the piece, the narrator - who is clearly a younger person - asks their father what happens when corn isn't harvested and is left in the field. The father replies, with all the weight he had been carrying that day, that "It'll just get very hard."

I understand the point the narrator was trying to make. Farmers, especially older ones, like the grandfather written about here - who I can't help but imagine looks like my grandfather - tend not to get worked up about things, even death. Yes, he'll be torn up inside and grieving, but they'll keep that inside, and not let anyone see. I can easily imagine a scenario just like this happening if one of my grandparents or great aunts and uncles passes away. The younger father, who doesn't understand the farmer mentality (probably left home to work in the city) doesn't get why his dad isn't reacting the way he's expecting, and that bothers him. But really, the grandfather's reaction is nearly spot on.

The only problem I had with the story, which made it really hard to concentrate on, is the whole picking corn thing. It's early July, they're harvesting corn, and they mention that its a late harvest. Corn doesn't grow that fast. Yes, it does on big commercial farms in warmer climates, with specially modified corn, but this this is an old couple's farm, probably just a small garden plot. If the story had taken place in late summer, I would have bought it. But ignoring that crucial detail ruined the story for me, especially when the rest of the piece could very well have been a snapshot of an occasion I will have to go through in the future.