They Said It Couldn't Be Done by Rick Walton

They said it couldn't be done.

They laughed when I said I would do it.

They said that it couldn't be done.

I rolled up my sleeves and went to it.

 

I struggled, I strove, I strained.

I fought at it day and night.

They said that it couldn't be done.

They were right.

Everyone's poems seem to be silly and simple tonight so i thought i would follow with a somewhat more serious poem. So i'm sure everyone has been told to never stop but instead keep trying again and again and again and again....but sometimes trying again just doesn't work. Sometime in life your going to run into a task that your just not going to be able to do, and thats what this poem is about. The character in the poem at first starts out by scoffing at the task he's set to do when everyone around him is telling him its impossible. But soon after much labor, he ends up finding out that the task was impossible and couldn't be done. Though it might not seem right to some people to quit, and  makes a interesting poem to end the last poetry response on, seeing its about failure, but i think its obvious that the moral of the poem here is that sometimes just say enough is enough and leave whatever your doing, especially when your not gonna complete it.

The Flood by Robert Frost

Blood has been harder to dam back than water.
Just when we think we have it impounded safe
Behind new barrier walls (and let it chafe!),
It breaks away in some new kind of slaughter.
We choose to say it is let loose by the devil;
But power of blood itself releases blood.
It goes by might of being such a flood
Held high at so unnatural a level.
It will have outlet, brave and not so brave.
weapons of war and implements of peace
Are but the points at which it finds release.
And now it is once more the tidal wave
That when it has swept by leaves summits stained.
Oh, blood will out. It cannot be contained.

This is quite an interesting poem because of its dark imagery and the meaning behind it, and it is because of all these reasons I like it a lot. The poem compares blood to several things. First Frost says that blood is something harder to dam back than water and is something released by the devil. From this, I believe it can be inferred that Frost is trying to compare the blood to war. Later in the poem, Frost says that the blood has the capabilities of being a flood in which using the inference, it can be understocked that Frost is trying to compare the flood to war spreading throughout the entire world. This idea is further backed up by the phrases , " The power of blood releases blood," and " weapons of war and implements of peace are but the points at which it finds releases," both of which describe war, as war only brings more war, and weapons and attempts at peace are more characteristics of it. In conclusion, the way Frost uses his diction to cleverly craft blood to be compared to a flood of war is really quite interesting and the lovely content makes the poem all the more better.

A Dream by Edgar Allen Poe

In visions of the dark night
I have dreamed of joy departed-
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken-hearted.

Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?

That holy dream- that holy dream,
While all the world were chiding,
Hath cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding.

What though that light, thro' storm and night,
So trembled from afar-
What could there be more purely bright
In Truth's day-star?


Seeing I have to use a serious poem, here it is and who other than Edgar Allen Poe would suit my personality.....like really guys are you surprised? In this poem about dreams, I believe there is a message to people who really look down upon themselves because of something they might have failed at in the past. In the first few lines, Poe describes the different types of dreams such a person might have, whether it be a dream like their everyday life and it doesn't make them any better or its a really awesome dream about who they want to be and they are heartbroken when they wake up. In the second paragraph, Poe states that what kind of life is not a dream if a person is constantly living and being blinded by the past instead of looking toward the light in the future, which is supported by Poe finishing the poem by saying " What could there be more purely bright in truth's day-star." In this statement, he concludes by saying the positive "light" exists any time whether it be in hardship or easy times, and because of that what is better in life than to live looking for the positive rather than the negatives of the past.

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked by Cage the Elephant

I was walking down the street,
When out the corner of my eye
I saw a pretty little thing approaching me.
She said "I've never seen a man
Who looks so all alone,
Could you use a little company?

If you can pay the right price
Your evening will be nice,
And you can go and send me on my way."
I said "You're such a sweet young thing
Why you do this to yourself?"
She looked at me and this is what she said:

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
I got bills to pay,
I got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know, I wish I could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good".

Not even fifteen minutes later
I'm still walking down the street,
When I saw a shadow of a man creep out of sight.
And then he sweeps up from behind
And puts a gun up to my head,
He made it clear he wasn't looking for a fight.

He said "Give me all you've got
I want your money not your life,
But if you try to make a move I won't think twice."
I go like "You can have my cash
But first you know I got to ask
What made you want to live this kind of life?"

He said "There ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
I got bills to pay,
I got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know, I wish I could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good".

Now a couple hours have passed
And I was sitting at my house,
The day was winding down and coming to an end.
So I turned on the TV
And flipped it over to the news,
And what I saw I almost couldn't comprehend.

I saw a preacher man in cuffs he'd taken money from the church,
He stuffed his bank account with righteous dollar bills.
But even still I can't say much
Because I know we're all the same,
oh yes we all seek out to satisfy those thrills

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
We got bills to pay,
We got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know we can't slow down,
We can't hold back,
Though you know, we wish we could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good"

      Well if anyone has played borderlands then you probably know this song since it is the opening theme song, but for those who haven't heard it let us talk about why there "Ain't no Rest For the Wicked." In the song, the writer uses several analogies that describe people in society who we generally frown upon because of their actions on obtaining cash such as the prostitute from the first paragraph, the gun thief from the second, or the preacher from the third. After telling introducing each of the characters the song is followed up with the same chorus which pretty much says that there isn't no rest for wicked people and they cannot stop what they are doing because they still have bills to pay and mouths to feed. However, I believe the writer is trying to portray some deeper meaning in this as he explains why the so called "wicked people" do what they constantly rather than stopping and getting a normal job like the population would believe they should do. I believe the writer is trying to say that once a person makes a mistake in their life and choose a wicked act there is no turning back because in this society no matter if you paid your sentence, as long as there is a record the chances of leading a normal successful life is a lot harder to do, even if they realized their mistake and changed. Another thing the writer points out in the paragraph about the thieving preacher is when he says that everyone seeks out to satisfy the same thrills. I believe he is saying that in some aspects everyone who is supposable "good" isn't all that much more better than the "wicked" preacher because everyone has some greed and an evil side and probably has made some mistakes in their life caught or uncaught, minor or major.


Have a link to the song :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKtsdZs9LJo

Butterflies and Hurricanes by Muse

change,
everything you are
and everything you were
your number has been called
fights, battles have begun
revenge will surely come
your hard times are ahead

best,
you've got to be the best
you've got to change the world
and you use this chance to be heard
your time is now

change,
everything you are
and everything you were
your number has been called
fights and battles have begun
revenge will surely come
your hard times are ahead

best,
you've got to be the best
you've got to change the world
and you use this chance to be heard
your time is now

don't,
let yourself down
don't let yourself go
your last chance has arrived

best,
you've got to be the best
you've got to change the world
and you use this chance to be heard
your time is now

I am 100% convinced we are analyzing a song just so I wouldn't do a Dr. Seuss poem ( I was sorely tempted but resisted temptation,) and just a forewarning, the grammar errors are probably going to be on a rampage in this response because I am extremely brain dead at the moment but here goes nothing. This song is an awesome song by an extremely awesome band known as Muse, and while my interpretation of the song in my zombie-like state is probably nothing like its supposed to be interpreted, I think its sorta close.....soooorta. I believe the lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, is trying to convey an idea that everyone has a chance to change the world but to do so requires a person to be at their best. I think this song really applies to soon to be and current college students, because every person has the potential to do a lot of great things in the world, but in order to great things Matt says, "your hard times are ahead; don't let yourself go; your last chance has arrived; you've got to be the best; you've got to change the world; and you use this chance to be heard" in which he means your gonna face hard times that you have to overcome without getting discouraged and you have to use your opportunities and be performing at your best if you plan on making your mark, else you'll just waste it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzCKrwOme2U&feature=related here is a link to the song so go listen to it while i sit here and ponder what i just wrote ><'' siiiigh

How did it get so late so soon?~ By Dr. Seuss

How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?



*drumroll* And here we start with yet another Dr. Seuss poem (I swear i'll run out soon) that deals with things getting late and once again applies to almost every person you know in this world because everybody procrastinates (or else i'm going to burn you( ^^).)In the poem Seuss talks about how time seems to be flying so fast, and the months are arriving much sooner than they should be. This can relate to almost everybody in the world because people have a tendency to slack off till the last minute. Countless times you have probably seen yourself waiting till the last minute to do a project, job, or assignment while freaking your head off during the process. Because of this human tendency to procrastinate, Seuss is trying to tell everyone to take notice at how quickly time flies, and things  that don't have to be done for a while are probably gonna be arriving sooner than you expect them to.

The Waiting Place by Dr. Seuss

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.


Guess what? This weeks response is something new........*drumroll* DR. SEUSS!!!! Anyways, once again Dr. Seuss takes the poetry response spotlight for the third week in a row, with another interesting poem that can relate to several people in the world, the people who wait and wait and wait and wait....you get the picture. I'm sure all of you have at least once encountered a person who has a bunch of great ideas that "could" lead to a bunch of great things, but the problem is they never do; and it is this issue Dr. Seuss addresses in this poem. In every line, he states a different scenario of waiting, and I believe he is urging the readers to quit sitting around waiting uselessly for something new and exciting to happen; but rather, get out into the world and try something. If you fail then oh well, at least you tried and gained some experience from your attempt, but if you succeed at something then who knows how far in life it might take you.