Annisa+Ahmed.

"Poetry is the silent voice that is heard everywhere inside of us..." - Unknown.


 * OWN ANALYSIS. **

I wing it with poetry. My process doesn’t come naturally. I just need a song, a phrase, a word that give me just enough spark to make it happen. I type unconsciously. My mind wanders and my fingers just know how to voice my thoughts. I write one line. And, I don’t return to it until I finish the poem.

 These are rules I live by when shaping my poetry. But with what I write, I try to make each poem be a goose bump worthy experience. Over the course of crafting this page, I feel as though I have grown as a poet because I was forced to try new things. Line breaks, punctuation, imagery - I have never really played with any of them as in depth as I should have. I tried to bring more of the five senses, more description and more actuality into poems in order for them to display the feelings that I want them to.

 Like with KNOWING, I tried to make so I included enough feeling with a hint of suspense to keep you on your toes, keep you wanting more. ODE TO LACES would probably seen as my humorous poem because it’s ever so realistic. Quite frankly, I was just as lost as you will be with US until the end, which was the plan. I have taken a liking to RAISED BY, with its repetition and constant rhythm. And, with my sonnet, URGE, the meaning is straightforward, but I attempted to go at it for distinctive standpoint.

 Each of my poems obtain a certain flow. The words, the pauses, the meanings -- I tried to make include the aspects of poetry that I dared to try. At times, the poems might not make much sense. Trust me, I know this better than anyone. But, if you read it a few times, or hear me read, you’ll understand the essence of what I am trying to express. So, without further or do, enjoy.

=D

 (memory poem)
 * KNOWING. **

 I didn't know.  I never know.

 The flashing lights.  The strangled voices.  The fleeting night.  And, the grief.

 I couldn't see.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But I try. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Standing on my tipping toes <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I peek over the window <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> And, I know <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nothing.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> At all.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Being three had its perks <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But at times like these, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Arrogance is anything but bliss <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But, the pang.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I couldn't feel.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But I reach <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> To grip the safety <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The salmon-colored cloth <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> And, I hold. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> On.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Despite myself.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I take deep breaths <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> And I try to take it in, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Innocence is overrated. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But, the hold.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I couldn't breathe.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But, I inhale <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Even though oxygen <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Isn't what I'm looking for <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But, I stagger. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Dizzy.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Out of it.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I caress the need, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> the overwhelming urge, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Questions have answers. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> And, all I have to do is ask.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(ode) //
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">ODE TO LACES. **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> My shoes, loose <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> my hoodie, unbound.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> To be open, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to space the distance <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> between silk and skin.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to be cold. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The wind hits, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> fierce and unforgiving. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The breeze flows in <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Chilly.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Clenching for make-shift warmth <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> To spare the skin of such <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Torturous torture. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to be open.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The rising or riding <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> of cloth <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> annoys. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> tickles. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Tends to tick me off.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> To tighten, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> tie <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> strap, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> string, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> fasten, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> and fix <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> is fascinating.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to be laced.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(riff poem) // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(good life - onerepublic) //
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">US. **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> "We are God of stories…" <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Crafting, conniving, crumbling <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> under the pressure <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> We know no bounds.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Taking our first breath, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> know one of them, will be our last. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Branding our names to the sand, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> only to have it blow away. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Standing at the edge of the cliff, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> ever ready to take the next step. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Licking at a ice cream cone, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> salvage every last drop, despite the brain freeze. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Griping the rails of imagination <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> as a last resort, the only resort. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Refusing to accept the natural tendency, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> of what is supposed to be.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The fact that determination cannot be shaken. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Firm, fierce, forward, good luck. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Old habits die hard, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> And life is nothing to complain about.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(it's implied...) //
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">RAISED. **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I was raised by a child <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> A person still struggling with <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> the harshness of this world, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Unknowing of reality <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Uncertain of what time holds

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I was raised by a single <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Solo, lacking the reliance <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to ask the haunting questions <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Afraid of the answers <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Alarmed of the little things

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I was raised by a comedian <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Who never took life as <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> serious as should be <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Laughing in its face <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Looking beyond the horizon

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I was raised by a professor <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Trusted with the many degrees <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> of telling right from wrong <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Skilled as guidance <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Suppressing hidden knowledge

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I was raised by a mother <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Easy-going, always knowing, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> living fast by loving hard <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Belonging to a someone <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Being ever so undeniably real.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I was raised.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">media type="file" key="aahmed.raised.by..mp3" width="240" height="20"

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**URGE**. //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(sonnet) //

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> He sits, contemplating the serious <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> nature that has yet to unfold, waiting <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to tell it straight, sadly delirious <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> thanks to the flaming liquid, the baiting

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Of it is far too strong, so much to need <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> behind every last drop, he chokes it out <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> the strangled lies stuck inside now flung, freed <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> when the first syllables are spilled, now about

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The vast horizon, which they sat for days <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> legs dangling and all, hypnotized pits <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> of the deepest despair, but the glass sways <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> in such a motion, and he swigs, he sits.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Rather than think up the reasons not to <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> detach from desire, or taste tart rue.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Poet: Gary Snyder
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">DETAILED STUDY. **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">To say that Gary Snyder is just like any other poet would be an insult to poetry itself. His works tend to express that unshakable feeling and deep thought that he seems to be keen on sharing with the readers. Just by looking through five of his poems, any person, like myself, could tell just that.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The format of his poems differ from one to another, though they all do seem to be revolving around the same base. In almost all of the poems, capitalization, punctuation and line breaks are never keep the same each poem.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The wheeling sky, // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Man, with his Satan // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Scouring the chaos of the mind. // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Oh Hell! // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(Milton by Firelight)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> It is as though he strives to tell his poetry in a fresh with each piece he writes. Sure, he might have a line break here and a comma there in two separate poems, however it is just not the same. Each of his poems works in a way that makes the reader know that Snyder is both exotic and creative in his works of art.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">To be honest, his choice of line breaks at times are just...

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">I was under rhododendron // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">All night blossoms fell // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Shivering on a sheet of cardboard // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Feet stuck in my pack // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(Four Poems for Robin)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Well, that.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Reading a poem with line breaks like these sometimes make it harder for the message to be conveyed to the readers. Snyder does have a tendency to put breaks in a way that probably has a bigger meaning behind it, however I failed to see it. It looks simply weird and like such things just do not belong, if the reader pays enough attention; not to the breaks, but to the poetry, I assure anything any everything can be easily understood.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Snyder also has a way of telling stories in a way that still makes it to be consider poetry. Like in I Went into the Maverick Bar, he is pretty much explaining what happened at the bar, but the way he does makes know that it falls along the lines of poetry. His description is so vivid, realistic.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">And with the next song, // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> a couple began to dance. //

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">They held each other like in High School dances // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> in the fifties; // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(I Went into the Maverick Bar)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The way in which he writes is captivity; his skills in storytelling and poetry writing fuse into one, so that you can’t tell when the story stops and the poetry begins because it’s not. The two intertwine in his verses; they become one.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> He has his ‘lone lines,’ as like to call them. They just appear, italicized and leave you wondering why they are even there in the first place.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The first time I have // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Ever seen them close. //

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">December at Yase //

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">You said, that October, // //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">In the tall dry grass by the orchard // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">(Four Poems for Robin)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> But, in a sense, those lines are telling their story, their own outlook on the poem. Little details the time of year and the feeling of the season mean so much because he cared to include them in the first place.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> And of course, his titles. Instead of you giving an idea of what is to come, he someone manages to confuse you even more with headings like, “Kyoto: March,” and “Riprap.” With Snyder, don’t try to find a deeper meaning or a complicated possibility. Be confused - as you read his poems, the significance will dawn on you. I can promise that much.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Gary Snyder has a unique was of portraying his poetry. He has slight sections, which divide him for the rest of the poets and he just works. It is sad that that is the way I speak of him, but he really is an deep, intellectual that is somehow playful who achieves the goal of shaping the world of poetry with that he makes his own.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">I hoped you enjoyed my page. Come back soon.