Below are the top five vote-getting poems: “Garbage Truck,” “Burned Man,” “Famous,” “Valentine,” and “Teenagers”. Cast your final vote in our tournament. And in approximately 100 words, support your vote. Be persuasive; choose your words with care. Quoting the poem is optional, though remember “to use slashes/ and quotation marks” correctly if you do. One of our goals here is to be concise.
Share your vote here by 8 pm on Monday, April 8.
Remember to proofread each sentence with great care.
Isn’t this intersection between poetry and democracy wonderful??!! :)
Garbage Truck
by Michael Ryan
Once I had two strong young men hanging off my butt
and a distinctive stink that announced
when I was inching down your street
at the regal, elephantine pace
that let my men step down from me running
to heave your garbage into my gut
then fling the clanging metal cans
to tumble and rumble, crash and leap
back to sort-of-where you’d lugged them to the curb
before another oblivious night of sleep.
Did you think life was tough?
I reveled in it, all the stuff
you threw out, used up, let rot,
the pretty packaging, the scum, the snot,
vomit and filth, everything you thought
useless, dangerous, or repugnant:
I ate it for breakfast. I hauled it
out of sight. And what did I get?
You were annoyed by my noise.
You coughed at my exhaust.
Your kids stopped playing in the street
to pinch their noses and gag theatrically
with no clue how sick they’d be without me.
I was the lowest of the low, an untouchable,
yet I did what I did and did it well.
Now I am not laughable: a “waste management vehicle”
denatured robotic sanitized presentable.
My strong young men are gone. I have no smell.
I’m painted deep green to look organic and clean.
Your “residential trash carts” are matching green
injection-molded high-density polyethylene
that barely thuds when I lower them to the ground
after I’ve stabbed and lifted and upended them
with twin prongs that retract into my side
so not to scratch anything or scare anyone.
Who can complain? Right there on your street
I mash and compact and obliterate your waste.
You need never give it a second thought.
It’s safe it’s easy nobody gets dirty.
It’s how you want your life to be.
But life’s not garbage. Garbage is life.
Look what you’ve got. Look what you throw out.
Burned Man
by David Huddle
When I was twelve, a man was burned
not quite to death at my father’s
factory. Recovered enough
to walk the town, he didn’t know
what to do with himself—a ghost
whose scarred, fire bubbled face made you
look away, though not my father
who felt responsible and so wouldn’t
refuse the man’s eyes when they fell
upon him. The burned man held no
grudge, thought the accident his
own fault, and sought my father out
as the one whose eyes told him yes,
he was still alive.
So they held long
conversations on the post office
stoop, which I observed from the car
where I waited, where I could read
my father’s stiff shoulders, the way
he clutched the mail, how he tilted
his head, even his smile that was
in truth a grimace. I knew just
what my mother knew—my father
had to let himself be tortured
once or twice a week, whenever
Bernard Sawyers saw him in town,
lifted his claw of a hand, rasped
out his greeting that sounded like
a raven that’d been taught to say
Hello, Mr. Huddle, how are you?
They’d stand there talking in the town’s
blazing sunlight, the one whom fire
had taken to the edge of death
and the other invisibly
burning while they passed the time of day.
Famous
by Naomi Shihab Nye
The river is famous to the fish.
The loud voice is famous to silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.
The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.
The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.
The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.
The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.
The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.
I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.
I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.
Valentine
by Carol Ann Duffy
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon
wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of
love.
Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will
make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.
I am trying to be
truthful.
Not a cute card or a kissogram.
I give you an
onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and
faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.
Take it.
Its platinum
loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will
cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.
Teenagers
by Pat Mora
One day they disappear
into their rooms.
Doors and lips shut
and we become strangers
in our own home.
I pace the hall, hear whispers,
a code I knew but can’t remember,
mouthed by mouths I taught to speak.
Years later the door opens.
I see faces I once held,
open as sunflowers in my hands. I see
familiar skin now stretched on long bodies
that move past me
glowing almost like pearls.
My favorite poem in this competition is “Teenagers” by Pat Mora because of the emotions it invokes in me. This poem is straight forward, to the point, and poignant. I love this poem because I can relate to it so easily. “One day they disappear/ into their rooms./ Doors and lips shut/ and we become strangers/ in our own home//.” These lines in particular are so familiar to me because they really describe the relationships between parents and most teenagers. The emotions that this poem stirs up are very powerful for me, and have a deep insight into how I feel sometimes, and that is why I choose this as my favorite.
Hi, Peter. I had a feeling this poem would get your vote. Good job. You write that parts of the poem feel especially familiar, which is a statement with which many of your classmates concur. You also write that the poem evokes powerful emotions; how might you be more specific in your sentences? Which emotion(s) does the poem evoke? Let’s all keep working on specificity in our writing.
I like that you took the initiative once again to post first! If you wish to learn some more about Pat Mora, I think you’ll enjoy her site: http://www.patmora.com/about.htm And here’s a thought: What if we wrote to Mora and shared our blog? From what I see on her site, I think she’d really enjoy what our class has to say! What do you think?
I am putting my final vote in for “Garbage Truck,” because it uses a very familiar symbol to relay a very powerful message. I have read many poems with a similar message of you don’t know what you have till it’s gone. Many of the poems would use a symbol of something that the speaker and reader would regard as important, but Michael Ryan takes his own unique perspective of something that no reader would ever really think about or even notice. However, the thing that really sold me on this poem was that it has the most powerful ending (in my opinion) out of all the poems, “It’s how you want your life to be. /But life’s not garbage. Garbage is life. /Look what you’ve got. Look what you throw out.” That is why “Garbage Truck” gets my vote.
My final vote goes to the poem “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye. I really enjoy this poem because it is inspirational. The author leaves us with the message of anyone can be famous for anything they are known for doing, even the little things. It could be just making the best cookies on the block or being a good giver of advice. Like she says in her poem, a river is famous to the fish and a cat sleeping on a fence is famous to the birds. It has importance to someone for doing something, even though it is not that big. You don’t have to be a Kardashian or be a NBA player to be famous. This poem is very inspirational to all.
Lizzy, I agree with what you are saying in your response. This poem is very inspirational and it does show how the little things do count. I also agree with you that a person doesn’t have to be a celebrity to be known as a famous person.
I chose to vote for “teenagers” because I believe that it is the one that I could connect to the most. Lately, all I have been thinking about has been growing up because my sister is going to college next year. I don’t want her to leave, but I know that she needs to and that she will be just fine on her own. Thus, I can connect to the mom’s point of view in this, but as a sister. I have watched her grow up, just like the Mom did because I have been growing up with her, but now it is time for her and I to finish growing up on our own and I have to accept it. This is the reason why I cast my vote for “teenagers”- because I am finally beginning to understand what it is like to be one.
My final vote is for “Teenagers” by Pat Mora because it is so original and relatable. I’ve heard many poems about nature, inanimate objects, loved ones etc, and “Teenagers” is different from all of them. I like how the author gives us insight to the mother’s view and the implication that the mother is recalling her own teenage years; saying that the whispers spoken are in a language she “once knew but forgot.” Also, when the mother says the language is said by “mouths she taught to speak,” I think she is recalling her early motherhood years when she was teaching her baby daughter words. Lastly, this poem makes me wonder if this is how I’ll feel towards my children when I’m a mother, or if this is how most mothers feel about their teenagers.
My final vote is “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye because of the meaning of it. This poem shows that anybody could be famous, but it is up to them on how they make themselves famous and how they interpret the word famous. The speaker of this poem feel like being famous means that he/she has to be useful to be famous, not to be showing anything off. The definition of famous is having a widespread reputation, usually of a favorable nature. This shows that the speaker wants to be known for having a useful reputation not a celebrated reputation. Personally, I would rather have a useful reputation like the speaker.
My favorite poem out of the top five is “Garbage” by Michael Ryan. The theme of this particular poem is the reason why it stood out to me out of the others. Michael Ryan compares a beautiful thing, life, to something completely opposite, garbage. This comparison is surprising since life is something to be cherished, and garbage is well… garbage. But, the way that the writer compares these two is amazing. The author lets the reader know that people’s decisions in life can sometimes go without a second thought, and that everyone wants their lives to be “safe and easy” so that “nobody gets dirty,” just like how garbage is taken care of. However, life is not like the garbage, the garbage is like life. It’s thrown away by many, because life is not always how you want it to be. It’s not thought over like it should be, and it is not recycled, just as people don’t recycle their garbage. But, they need to take a step back and think about life. This theme applies to almost everyone, no matter where they live, which is what I think makes this poem special. Life should not be taken advantage of, because you never know when it can end. Do what makes you happy while you can.
I vote for “Teenagers” by Pat Mora because it’s a very relatable poem to kids our age. I love the way that the author doesn’t have to say much to get the point across. Mora describes so much in only 3 stanzas. My favorite line is “mouthed by mouths I taught to speak.” The author is explaining how the speaker of the poem, who I believe is a mother, says how she taught her child to speak but now doesn’t understand or really hears what her child is saying. Her son/daughter is growing up so fast and the speaker wishes anything but this would happen. This poem makes me think about my relationship with my parents, and it makes me wonder how they feel about me growing up since I’m the oldest child. I wonder if they read this poem they could relate to what the speaker is saying.
Hi, everyone. As usual, your responses here are wonderful. The sincerity in each of your voices is apparent even in comparatively fewer words. I enjoy seeing the diversity of selections and interpretations, knowing that each person writing here is bringing a great deal of thought to his/her vote.
Zac, I like your attention to the end of the poem. How poets close their poems is a scholarly subject, believe it or not. (Consider also how Harper Lee closes the chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird.)
Lizzy, you cite two more ways in which an ordinary person can be famous. Juxtaposing typical versions of fame with your examples is interesting, and makes the latter especially appealing!
Jessie, your closing statement about being a teenager—“I am finally beginning to understand what it is like to be one”—is a wonderful line. When we complete our own creative writing soon, I hope you’ll keep this statement in mind.
Menalie, I like your assertion that “Teenagers” stands apart from the other poems we’ve read; you make a nice case in favor of this poem both here and in your earlier vote. You’ve conveyed strong personal connections.
Erin, I like your conviction that usefulness is the right reason to desire fame. As a teacher, I can relate to this sentiment.
Kali, your discussion of the theme of your poem is insightful. Previously and above you share your conviction that life is precious; what a great message to interpret in this poem.
Mackenzie, I like how you point out that the poet uses words sparingly, but with no less effectiveness in conveying meaning to the reader. Have you considered sharing this poem with one or both of your parents? It might be interesting if some of us (perhaps even me) did this…
Keep up the great insights!
Although none of these poems were particularly my favorite, the best to me was “Famous.” I choose this poem because of the message it displays to the reader. It says that anyone can be famous if that is what they want to be, but one can still take another path. The speaker interprets the word famous in different ways then someone else may. His/her idea of fame is not marked by doing something spectacular. My idea of fame is very different, so this poem also opened my eyes to the different interpretations people can have on simple concepts or even words.
The poem that won my final vote is “Teenagers” by Pat Mora. I love this poem because of how easily it is for me to connect to since I’m a teenager. The line that I can relate to the most is, “One day they disappear/ into rooms./ Doors and lips shut.” I also like how this poem evokes emotion when I read it. I feel bad for the speaker of the poem because their child has left them, in a way. Then I think about how my mom and dad probably feel the same way about me because I basically do the same thing that the teenager in the poem does.
The poem I am writing about is Teenagers” by Pat Mora. I found this poem to be relatable but also very sad. When I first read this poem what came to my mind was a mother, whom is concerned for her son/daughter; and how she doesn’t really know what he/she is doing behind closed doors. I also really thought that the first stanza where Mora describes how teenagers act was spot on. A majority of teens don’t really talk to their parents anymore and just stay up in their rooms all day, like as Pat describes as “strangers”. I thought this was really true in how your child whom you’ve known forever is starting to move away from his/her parents and speaks to him/her less. Lastly, I really liked the line where Mora says “a code I knew but can’t remember” when the author said this I thought he was saying that her child is acting like she did as a teen; but can’t recall the problems, in this poem being the code, which she encountered and now would be harder to connect to her child.
My final vote is for “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye. I have decided to vote for this poem because it seems the most poetic to me. The poet keeps a beautiful train of similes and comparisons going throughout the poem, with each one leading into the next one like an elegant game of telephone. My favorite passage is the one where Nye describes the bent photograph as being famous to it’s owner, but not to the one pictured. This line alone made me decide to vote for “Famous” because it shows how something trivial to one individual can be revered and even to sacred to another. Specifically, this line makes me imagine a forlorn and hopeless soldier, his only link to home being a bent photograph of someone close to him.
FOR BEN WAGNER:
The poem “Teenagers” by Pat Mora intrigued me the most even though I didn’t pick any of the finalists as my favorite. This poem really connects to my life at home. “One day they disappear/into their rooms./Doors and lips shut/and we become strangers/in our own home.” This describes my reaction when there is too much commotion going on in our family’s living room. Also, I think this imbues the stereotypical teenager sometimes, one that tries to get away from their parents and just be alone. However, later in the third stanza, “the door opens” and the once seemingly rebellious teenager becomes closer to the ones that love him/her.
My favorite poem would be “Garbage Truck” by Michael Ryan. I especially loved this poem out of all of the others because of how uncommon the words inside of the poem are. Usually one does not read a poem that includes words like: “repugnant” or “elephantine.” I also really enjoyed how the reader can understand that the speaker of the poem is the actual garbage truck and we are finally getting the point of view from something we rarely think about. For example, the line, “Your kids stopped playing in the street/to pinch their noses and gag theatrically/with no clue how sick they’d be without me,” is great at showing just how much we take for granted the amount of garbage we throw away and how it is picked up. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this poem, and it is probably one of my favorites that I have read so far.
My final vote goes to “Teenagers” by Pat Mora because of the strong connection between the poem and I. Several lines in the poem are so familiar to me, including the line, “Doors and lips shut/and we become strangers.” Looking back at how I’ve grown up, I vividly remember suddenly disappearing into my room and becoming strangers with the people I knew most. I feel as if I even wrote this poem due to my similar feelings and thoughts towards teenagers maturing. A significant and memorable poem should be one that is truly connectable, appealing to my emotions and feelings.
The poem that I choose for my final vote is “Valentine” by Carol Ann Duffy. I really enjoyed reading and writing about this poem because it is like a classic love poem with a twist. Most love-related literature talks about sappy things, like how the speakers world “would not be the same” without their love, but instead this poem compares their love for their significant other to an onion, that’s “fierce kiss will stay on your lips” so that they will always be thinking of the speaker. This change-up of classic romance style was easy to appreciate because of the fact that it deviated from the “norm,” and that’s why I enjoyed it so much.
My vote goes to “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye because it makes me believe that I can be famous in my own way and reminds me that fame is not just for movie stars and the rich. Fame is just what others think of you so I could be “famous as the one who smiled back” or as “the cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds/watching him from the birdhouse.” I could be famous for being kind or violent. This poem seems to say your reputation, what you’re famous for, is earned (which it is) which gives me the hope that I can be famous for whatever I would like.
My vote goes to “Valentine” by Carol Ann Duffy. I enjoyed this poem the most because it was so out of the box compared to all the rest. The speaker used something that was usually thought of as kind of ordinary, or even gross when it comes to love, into something passionate and beautiful. In my mind, all the other poems didn’t have anything as clever and original as this one did. One of the greatest aspects of this poem is how the speaker gets the reader to enjoy what power an onion can have. My mind changes from thinking that an onion is a terrible Valentine gift to really enjoy the thought of the onion by the end of the poem.
My final vote goes out to “Valentine” by Carol Ann Duffy. I’ve never even thought of this peculiar analogy of an onion to love, but after really giving it some deep thought, It seemed almost ingenious to me. The descriptions given about this onion just by itself, like “blind you with tears” and “its scent will/ cling to your fingers,” and by itself, it seems like a very negative thing. But when you look at the whole poem, these normally negative attributes of the onion is turned into something very positive, like “it will blind you with tears/ like a lover” and “its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,/ possessive and faithful.”
My final vote without a doubt goes to “Teenagers” by Pat Mora. Even though on the shorter side, this poem struck me as being one of the most significant and relevant in today’s world. Also, this poem shows the dynamic relationship between a parent and a teenager. For example when the speaker says “I pace the halls, hear whispers/a code I knew but can’t remember, / mouthed by mouths I taught to speak.” it really spoke to me because the parent here is so saddened at the fact that their relationship with their child is not how they want it to be. I feel that great poems are ones that the reader can closely relate to, even though it is hard to put a cap on a relationship between a teenager and their parent, I feel like this poem truly does an awesome job at showing the reader this relationship. Even in my everyday life, I can definitely relate to this poem.
Hello, sophomores. “Valentine” is making a late resurgence here. I suspect that some of you wish the EE Cummings poem “since feeling is first” or Billy Collins’s poem “Nightclub” were here. Alas, so do I, but each one up for a vote here is also wonderful. You’re all making persuasive cases for your poems, which is important. I wish all everyone could live in a world where people were passionate about good poems. Am I the only one who feels this way?
Here’s a question: Is studying literature (poetry, novels, plays, etc.) more akin to looking at our lives through a window OR to seeing our lives reflected in a mirror? (Remember our iceberg metaphor? We’re adding some metaphors…) What do you think? Can we discuss this in class? (Help us all remember…)
My favorite poem, out of the writings that made it to the last round is “Teenagers” by Pat Mora. This is the poem that means the most to me because I can relate to it and I think that many other young people can, too. The stanzas saying, “One day they disappear / into their rooms” and “Years later the door opens” are extremely powerful lines in this poem because it shows the amount of time lost that parents spend with their kids. I also think that this poem could change the minds of teenagers when they read this. For example, if they saw the effects that ignoring their parents can have, they may make put spending quality time with their family at the top of the list. This can be helpful because many people don’t see what they’re missing and ruining until after their parents are gone. I know that I’d rather put up with my parents when they’re annoying me than regret not connecting with then when they’re not here anymore. Out of all the poems, “Teenagers” is my favorite because I can relate to it and because it can teach many young people a valuable lesson in life.