Oh My Love, Poetry

            I have always been a lover of poetry, as I have always been a lover of cake and everything sweet. However poetry is not merely sweet. It may be poignant, heated, tender, blissful, somber, etc. but I find that all poetry is passionate and full of soul and emotion, whatever emotion that may be. Although I had a fairly keen sense of poetry entering my fall term class, I have learned so much since! As the final days of my fall semester course come to a fin, (which is French for ‘end’) I see that this class has truly been my most beloved.

            Since the humid days of August to the blistery days of November, I have looked forward to poetry. I could rely on the class to be intriguing, lively, and humorous…a perfect finish to a lengthy and tiresome day of school. Every day, there was sure to be a heated and opinion-filled discussion, overrun with laughter. I was astonished and impressed with my piers’ ability to write poetry as well as decipher poets’ works. I was able to see improvement in my own poetry-writing skills and gained a greater confidence in my work as well. Not only were the writing workshops enjoyable; so were the reflections of famous poets! We discussed Tennyson, Browning, Whitman, Frost (a personal favorite), Sandburg, Parker, Cummings, Hughes, Nash, Jarrell, Ginsberg, Dylan, Brooks, Knight, Baraka, Giovanni, and Troupe who all brought their own unique style, belief, and emotion into their poems. It was a pleasure to read and discover interesting aspects of the poets’ lives and how certain events influenced their writing. There is ingenuity from every writer and it is amazing to see how the poems relate to the times they were written. The discussions of these extremely talented individuals has allowed me to delve into their other works and find poetry that I am now awfully fond of! Possibly my favorite experience, if not the workshops, is the blog. I have come to adore writing posts, finding it incredibly fun as well as challenging! I believe that I shall begin my own blog soon!

            I have come to view poetry in a new, even brighter, light and will sincerely miss the class in my next semester. I only wish that every teacher could be as passionate, enthusiastic, caring, and kindhearted as the wonderful Mrs. Lewis (aka The Sassy Librarian)! She truly made the class what it was and I will miss having her as a teacher everyday. I am entirely grateful for the experience and will cherish my time in this poetry class for all time! 

Peace and love to all!