Medusa

The poem "Medusa" by Louise Bogan sounds very artistic with imagery that helps set the tone. The line "facing a sheer sky" adds a gentle touch to the poem, as I can imagine a canopy hovering over her. In the first stanza there's a lot of action as the bell is ready to strike. The line "Sun and reflection wheeled by" also demonstrates action but in retrospect, in Greek mythology the reflection in Perseus' sword helped decapitate Medusa. After the narrator catches a glance at the bare eyes of Medusa the scene becomes dead. The line "And I shall stand here like a shadow" hints us that she has turned to stone.  This is a poem loaded with meaning that can be interpreted differently by each reader. Overall, it's a nice poem but I will only recommend it to those who read the story of Medusa and Perseus beforehand for a better understanding. 

Ask Me

"Ask Me" by William Stafford is a beautiful poem that I would read to my kids. By just reading the title I thought it was going to be an insightful poem by a wiser person. Reading this poem got me thinking about people in my life who hurt me but love me and those people who don't love me but try to help. I't made me think about my life, whether I live the life that is going to make me spiritually rich or a'm I striving for a materialistic lifestyle where I will never be fulfilled. I feel this poem makes me a better person, thus I will recommended it to friends and family.

Lonely Hearts

Wendy Cope wrote a villanelle titled "Lonely Hearts" in which today her poem still holds relevance specially to people who live in a big city.  Although the setting of the poem is implied to be in North London lonely hearts are everywhere, but most concentrated in big cities, like New York City. After moving into the city I've learned a great deal of people meet through online sites, since they work so much they don't have time to do conventional dating. Back then, "lonely hearts" was a column in the newspaper dedicated for personal ads in which people tried to find romance and casual encounters. Today because of technology advancements, people seeking for romance can post similar ads online via dating websites and Craigslist.

 I found this poem a bit humorous because of the diversity of the ads. And the narrator shows to consider every ad as a possible gateway to a lover. The repetition of the line "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" makes her sound desperate as she continues to scan through personal ads. I think this poem says a lot about our human nature. We are all different people with different preferences and values, but we are all in search of affection and companionship. I'll definitely recommend this poem to those who live in big cities and can relate with having a lonely heart.