Poetry

Fairy Land by Edgar Allan Poe

Though I am rather familiar with Poe's works, this poem struck me as being different. Most of his other pieces, whether they be poems like The Raven or short stories, are story-based. This poem, however, was more just a description of a mystical realm. And though one might expect a poem titled "Fairy Land" to be happy, frolicky, and fanciful, Poe adds his own mysterious and dark twist to the subject. The rhyme scheme was also interesting because it is constantly changing from sight-rhymes to abab form to rhyming couplets. Perhaps these alterations in the rhyme mirror changes in the speaker's state of mind as he witnesses this "Fairy Land".


At the Sea-Side by Robert Louis Stevenson

Though this is a rather short poem, it raises many questions. The speaker states, "A wooden spade they gave to me / To dig the sandy shore." So, the reader may ask, "Who are 'they', and why would they want this person to dig holes by the sea?" However, the only other information that is provided after that is: "My holes were empty like a cup. / In every hole the sea came up/ Till it could come no more." Overall, this poem leaves itself open for many different interpretations.


"Doing, a filthy pleasure is, and short" by Gaius Patronius

While most relationship poems that I encounter never involve sex, this one revolves around the subject. By revealing the crude, beast-like quickness of the act, the speaker shows how one should develop love for a person before engaging in sexual intercourse. In the beginning of the poem, the reader may question the speaker's blunt discussion of "Doing", but the true purpose shines forth in the end as he describes that love and emotion should come before instinct and instant gratification that can ruin one's relationship.


The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

This is a simple poem, that points out an important truth. The speaker is a person, inundated with the stress of everyday life. However, when she travels and spend time in the wild, she can finally be in peace. The wilderness is so much simpler than humans are, yet it is more peaceful and content. I'd like to think that the wild is God's realm, which is pure and mysterious, while human life is corrupt and hence stressful and often times too much for one to handle.