Sierra White Spring 2012

POETRY EXPLICATION PROJECT

Dear Briana. I know I told you this was a simple project I needed you to take a look at but I also hope you truly read everything I

wrote. It is a collection of poems that remind me of you in a way with your relationships, there are also poems that point

out how no matter what everything can get better! I hope you enjoy this “Book of poems” and I cannot wait till

we are finally able to meet as friends!

For the poems written by me there will be an explication or a breakdown of the poem, and the reason I wrote it.

For poems written by others, there will just be an Explication, a breakdown of the poem.

TO BRIANA

One,

Two

Three

Four

Here I go out the door

Where I have no idea,

Lets have a few adventures this year.

To the Car with keys in hand,

“Where?” you may ask.

To Explore the land,

Start the Engine,

Drive down the road,

Where to go,

I do not know

I look at the gas gauge

And to my dismay,

The adventure today

A trip to the Gas station

Where I must pay.

WHERE?BY: SIERRA WHITE

Where was written as a spur of the moment poem that has been experienced by everyone at one point in time. I know in conversations you and I have discussed going on trips together and driving to see different places. This poem

explains one reason this is so difficult for us.

The poem is also something that I wrote because each day you want to go do something, unless you have the gas to go

anywhere. Its probably not going to happen.

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN

Written in the year 2012 by the unpublished author Sierra White Where is a simplistic poem that tells of an everyday adventure everyone experiences a few times a week. As you begin to read the poem the first four words are structured in a un uniform pattern

that take your eyes on an adventure of their own. Just the start off with simple counting makes you wonder where this poem will go. There are a few different tones through this poem; it starts out with anticipation where the person is not sure where

exactly they will be going for the day. That anticipation turns to excitement at the idea of exploring the land both known and unknown places. Near the end of the poem the

tone turns to dismay and disappointment at the fact that she cannot go on much of trip because of the need for gas.

The speaker of this poem could be a person of any age, while the author is only 16 and just most likely just starting to experience the fun of paying for her own gas. This

poem could be focused towards anyone of any age looking for an adventure. The title of the poem really explains the poem to the reader, no one knows exactly where they will go once they leave their house. They have an idea, maybe a destination they have to reach but once they leave their comfort of their home the question of , where, I s

open to any answer. The rhyme scheme of this poem is not organized, it has a random effect and again leads you wondering where the poem will go next. The structure in in

one main body, no broken stanzas just one long body of the poem.

WHERE? EXPLICATION

I know they’re here

But where is here

Are they in a corner

Or on a shelf,

Did I lend them to someone else?

I love those shoes

They make me feel free

Little Red Shoes,

COME TO ME!

Mom is yelling

“Its time to go out the door”

I scan the floor looking for them,

Then I spot them once again.

Just sitting there looking for a friend,

On my feet they go with ease

These little red shoes,

make me feel free

THE RED SHOES BY SIERRA WHITE

The Red Shoes, I believe I might have told you about these shoes, the converse with the heart on the ankle that I almost had you bedazzle. This poem is written for two

different reasons.

First, I know your amazing sense of style and the number of shoes you have, at times it is difficult to decide on which

pair to wear each day!

The second because having shoes that make you feel like a different person is something both of us like to have. I know

you have shoes that you love and have bedazzled to make them your own creation, and I know I do the same thing to

some pairs of my shoes.

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN

This poem was written sometime in the fall of 2010 by the young author Sierra White. At the time she was only 15 and still figuring out her identity and how she was applying herself to her own sense of style. This poem tells about her favorite pair of shoes and one of the many times she had misplaced her shoes in her room. The speaker is that of a teenager talking to her shoes, like most of us do at a time

when we loose something we need, for instance our shoes, keys wallet or any other inanimate object. The tone of the poem is playful and fun, but it also has a sense of

urgency where the speaker actually calls out to the pair of shoes out of desperation. The rhyme scheme to this poem is AABCCDEDEFGHHHEDE

While this is a sporatic rhyme scheme with no general Patten this is a typical trait of White, she never particularly enjoyed having exact rhyme schemes.

The poem is not broken into stanzas and paragraphs for organization, instead it has a simple body, all of the lines group together in the center. This pattern causes the reader to continue on with the poem, it also shows the story line of this poem. The title of this poem tells people what the subject of the poem it, it may not mean much to a person who would just read the poem. After taking a moment to read the story behind the title you realize that White wrote the poem because the red shoes

were a part of her personality and it seemingly made her feel like a different person.

THE RED SHOES EXPLICATION

Those three words that make us survive.

They make us look forward to the next day we talk.

Miles Don't Matter

No matter the distance between our hands

No matter the time between our touch

No matter the miles between us.

We don't let it stop us.

Miles don't stop the Love we have.

Phone calls,

Emails,

Skype through I-pads

Miles won't get between us.

Friends don't understand why we try

The truth is we don't deny

The trust we feel

The Miles we don't see.

Miles Don't matter if the love is strong

MILES DON’T MATTER BY: SIERRA WHITE

Oh the Miles don’t matter. Something we have delightfully learned over the past 3 years of knowing each other. While we have talked everyday, we have never met. We have used skype to video chat, emails and cellphones talking and none

other than school to bring us together sometimes.

I also want you to know I wrote this so that when either of us go to college we don’t loose touch, because the miles

don’t matter and our relationship is something I never ever want to disappear!

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN

This poem is one that speaks volumes in the matter of long distance relationships. The Title of this poem, Miles Don’t

Matter, helps explain the meaning of the poem. In this poem you see a set of three stands each between three and four lines. While the last sentence of the poem is more of a

statement it closes the poem. The speaker of this poem would most likely be a young teenager or a person who has

been in a long distance relationship at any age. It is noticeable that there is one point in the poem where it talks about technology, this makes me believe that the speaker, is

a teenager or adult who is very knowledgeable with technology. When you look at the poem you can see the

true love between two people who are willing to put in the time and energy for the relationship to last.

MILES DON’T MATTER EXPLICATION

Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

How is that romantic?

I have no clue

People hear those words

They always think,

Oh what a poet.

Romance and love

that’s the way to show it

I do not understand

nor do I want to.

Roses have thorns

and they draw blood too

Violets look pretty

And have nice colors,

But no fragrance to encourage

Romance in a poem

I don’t think so

I will take daisies

And pretty flamingos.

ROMANTIC HOW?

How is that romantic?

A common question we asked each other about certain things boys have done to us. I wrote this poem as a small joke, because of conversations we have had on Valentines day, and other days where we just couldn’t make sense of

certain things.

This is also a Poem to remind you that look above and beyond every boy that comes along because sometimes they just try and stick with the same old routine instead of doing

something new and interesting.

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN

The poem “Romantic How?” has a unique personality. Yes poems can have personalities! In a way there seems to be a situation where the speaker may be talking to a good friend or acquaintance explaining

why he/she does not think certain things are romantic. You are given multiple images as you read this poem, the first two lines “Roses are Red/Violets are Blue” you are given a visual picture of flowers that most people receive on special occasions. Those first two lines also

bring forth the typical beginning to a romantic poem. As you continue on the poem you see lines that state “Roses have thorns/and they draw blood too. / Violets look pretty / And have nice colors/ but no fragrance to encourage. ” Reading those lines you do not see as

romantic of a picture as you did with the first two lines of the poem. This poem is not organized into separate stanzas but instead a large body, the tone of this poem is playing ful and joking. You are able to notice this tone especially when you get to the last two lines. “I will

take daisies/ and pretty flamingos.”

ROMANTIC HOW EXPLICATION

Faithful till the end

Ready to talk when you need them

Insure that you stay on track

Everyready to listen

Never Put you down

Depend on you for things

Sunshine on cloudy days

FRIENDS BY: SIERRA WHITE

Honestly this was written just for a Creative Writing project, but now that I look at it. I know where I got the

words for each line.

You and I are true friends Briana and I hope nothing will ever pull us apart!

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN

This poem is not only a sweet poem but it is known as an acrostic poem meaning there is a word spelled from the first letter in each

line. In this poem you can see that word is friends. As you read this poem you see what the author views true friendship as. The tone of this poem would be serious and sweet at the same time. As you read you only see positive things, giving you an image of what true friends

should be like for example, “Ever ready to listen/ Never put you down” those are two statements that tell you what that person

expects from a friend.

FRIENDS EXPLICATION

White and black

Night and day

They do not mix

Or do they

What do you call gray

Or twilight time

Why don’t you read

In-between the lines

Things are different

Yes I agree

Add them together

And you create something, See

When you only look

At one or another

You are missing a world

Unlike any other

Mix things together,

Create something new

See the whole world

In a new point of view

MIX THEM TOGETHER SIERRA WHITE

I wrote this poem to remind us that despite our differences we get along so well. We both know that our personalities

probably would never mesh if we would have met anywhere but through Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School. As two friends that have differences we are able to find things to

talk about and enjoy with each other. We look at things that don’t normally mix and make it go together perfectly.

For example,

POPTART=LOVE :-D

WHY WAS IT WRITTEN

When you first read the title of this poem the first thought that may jump into your mind is that of a recipe for a cookie mix. That’s not what the title of this poem is talking about.

In this poem you are given a set of stanzas that create a tone of seriousness but at the same time happiness. This speaker of this poem would be seen as and older person who has had years of expierence explaining to a younger child or even teen that you should see things just in black and white. A few of the images that you are given in this

poem include that of a sky in between the daytime and the night time. The colors white and black mixed together to create the color gray. The title of this poem gives you the

symbolism that you can mix anything together, people, colors, or time of day, to create something new and

different.

MIX THEM TOGETHER EXPLICATION

From here on you will see classical and some modern poems that are for experience both of us have shared. I

know that just by reading them you will be able to understand why I choose the poems I did.

Enjoy!

CLASSICAL/MODERN POEMS

Heart, we will forget him,

You and I, tonight!

You must forget the warmth he gave,

I will forget the light.

When you have done pray tell me,

Then I, my thoughts, will dim.

Haste! ‘lest while you’re lagging

I may remember him!

HEART, WE WILL FORGET HIM

BY: EMILY DICKINSON

“Heart, We Will Forget Him,” is written by Emily Dickinson and the title describes the main theme of this poem. While this poem is only a few lines long you are able to receive the

impression that Dickinson had recently been through a breakup that left her trying to forget the relationship. When you read this poem you see the speaker is a female, possible of any age

that has a broken and hurt heart. The speaker is talking directly to their heart creating personification within this poem. While reading this poem you are able to see that the

speaker is talking about a man that she requests her heart to forget, and the speaker tells the heart exactly what to forget. In the like “You (the heart) must forget the warmth he gave” the

impression that the speaker lover made her feel warm and secure is brought to you mind. There is also a mental image of a man possible giving a women his coat or holding her close on

a cold night to create the image of warmth. In the next like “I will forget the light” the speaker puts in how she herself will attempt to forget the man whom she was so fond of. This

brings forth a mental image of someone important and you is placed first above everyone else. The tone of this poem is sorrow, but at the same time hopefulness. There is sorrow in this

poem because the speaker is attempting to forget someone who made and impression on her heart mind and soul in a way that she will have a hard time forgetting. There is a hopeful tone

to this poem in the last few lines, “Then I, my thought will dim./Haste! ‘least while you’re lagging / I may remember him!” You see a person who is willing to remember who they want their heart to forget, or she is willing to try and stop her feelings of love, but until them she

wants to remember all of the good things that happened. The Rhyme scheme of this poem is ABCBDAEA, with the organization being one body not separating the lines into separate stanzas. This creates a more unified look to the poem showing that the thought process between the speaker and her heart are connected and

flowing continuously.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Coral is far more red than her lips’ red,

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun, If hairs be wires, black wires grow upon her head.

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,But no such roses see I in her cheeks,

And in some perfumes is there more delight,Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak: yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound,

I grant I never saw a goddess go,My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground,

And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare,As any she belied with false compare.

MY MISTRESS’ EYES WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare is known for his works as a playwright and a poet. In his poem “My Mistress’ Eyes” you see something that some may call unromantic and in one way or another mean. That is because they may not be looking at the right lines within this poem. In this poem the speaker is someone who is in love with a mistress whom others may look at ill. The speaker would seem to

be an older gentleman who is probably speaking with a good friend who he is able to trust. In the poem the speaker is explaining what his mistress looks like and why he fancies her.

This poem is filled with images all based around a single subject, the speakers mistress. In this poem you are given exactly what the mistress looks like, in the first line of the poem, “My

mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” The speaker starts off by saying that the eyes that normally are bright and cheerful in a person are not like that for his mistress. Then he continues

by describing how she looks, he states that Coral is redder than her lips, and that her chest is paler than snow. As he says this you start to see am image of a pale women who is not very

attractive in today’s standard. Then the speaker goes on describing the way her black hair, looks more like wires placed on her head. She has no blush to her cheeks and her breath is not

something you would want to smell, he also states that while he loves to hear her speak the sound is worse than music. Through most of the poem you see a women who no one could possible fall in love with or who no one could fancy, but then you continue reading. In the last few lines of the

poem the speaker states how he things his love with his mistress is rare and no one is able to compare with his love. This shows that no matter what you look like or who you see there is

someone who appreciates you for who you are.

The rhyme scheme in this poem is ABABCDCDEFEFGG, this poem is also organized into a single body instead of separate paragraphs also known as stanzas. By having this poem as a body

instead of multiple short paragraphs you are able to see how the entire poem is talking about one person and how everything flow together within the poem.

MY MISTRESS’ EYES EXPLICATION

A

flower was offered to me:

Such a flower as May never bore.

But I said "I’ve a Pretty Rose-tree",

And I passed the sweet flower o’er.

Then

I went to my Pretty Rose-tree

To tend her by day and by night.

But my Rose turn’d away with jealousy:

And her thorns were my only delight.

MY PRETTY ROSE TREEWILLIAM BLAKE

“My Pretty Rose Tree” is a poem who main subject is a rose tree. The rose tree is not a literal rose tree that grows in a flower garden but a women who can be compared to a

rose tree for how the speaker treated her. The speaker in this poem would seem to be a man who lost something who was dear to him and is trying to figure out what happened

and why he no longer has the, pretty rose, he loved to dearly. In this poem you see a few images the first you see is in the second line where the speaker was given a flower, and in the third line it describes how the flower was so pretty it was never seen before. You also see how the speaker tended to this rose tree night and day, and in the end the Rose

he was tending to decide to lash out with jealousy and only let him have her thorns. Through the course of the poem you see a story of a love broken apart by jealously.

The tone of this poem is confusing, in the beginning of the poem you see a happiness that someone offered him a flower that had beauty and radiance, but he decided to turn away that flower because he had his own rose tree. Then the poem turns to confusion

because all while he turned down the flower offered to him the speakers Rose decided to leave out of jealously. The speaker is questioning where the relationship went wrong between him and his Rose, because he was there and tended to the every need both

night and day but in the end she decidedly left. The poem has a very night pattern to it with the rhyme scheme of ABABACAC. While there are only two stanzas the split of the

stanzas comes at the point where the tone of the poem also changes.

Everyone should have

a friend like you

You are so much fun to be with

And you are such a good person

You crack me up with laughter

And touch my heart with your kindness

You have a wonderful ability

To know when to offer advice

And when to sit in quiet support

Time after time

You've come to my rescue

And brightend so many

Of my routine days

And time after time

I've realized how fortunate

I am that my life includes you

I really do believe that

Everybody should have a friend like you

But so far it looks like

You are one of a kind!

A FRIEND LIKE YOU BY: NATASHA

This poem is not written by a classical author who is known across the world but by a person who I believe was looking

at our relationship as she wrote this poem. This poem speaks volumes to anyone who has a friend and who wants to let them know how much of a friend they are. Instead of

there being multiple stanzas there is one large body paragraph built up of all the line in the poem. As you read the poem you see a picture being drawn of all the qualities

you may want in a friend, from the quiet support, to brightening up the day. The tone of the poem is a tone of truthfulness and love. As a person reads this names may

start coming to mind of people who fulfill the meaning of “A friend Like You.”The Rhyme Scheme of this poem is simple, there is no real rhyme scheme. As a poem on friendship the words flow together with there not needing to be a rhyme

scheme.

A FRIEND LIKE YOU EXPLICATION

As a final note, I know there are not many poems here, but as our friendship grows so will this book of Poems, I love

you like a Sister Bri! And you know it.

Sierra

CLOSING

Where I found different poems I choose;

1. http://www.poemhunter.com/classics/

2. http://www.completeclassics.com/

3. http://www.poemsource.com/friendship-poems.html

BIBLIOGRAPHY