The Eclipse by Richard Eberhart

This poem takes about much more than the actual eclipse. It talks about man's hope for light in the face of darkness. Despite bad times people will always have hope and will someway, somehow escape the darkness. I like this poem a lot for its hope for the future and that better times will come.

At the End by Ed Meek

This poem is about the death of a loved one. It speaks about how the loved one is ready for death and accepts it with open arms. This person is ready to die and is not afraid to do so. When I become older I hope that I can come to terms and accept whatever fate is given to me.

Funny Haiku

Haikus are easy

but sometimes they don't make sense

Refrigerator

This poem is not only funny but also very true. It is very difficult to understand haikus sometimes and this makes a big joke out of haikus. I really like this poem and I share it with many people.

The Butterflies Dance Haiku

Haikus are a very interesting type of poem. They often leave me a little confused however this one makes perfect sense to me. It talks about the brilliant colors of a butterfly and how its colors ripple like water.

Quiet Girl by Langston Hughes

In this poem Langston Hughes writes about a woman that he greatly admires and seems to love. He speaks about her quiet beauty and that she doesn't have to say anything to be beautiful. He compares her to sleep without dreams if it were not for her beautiful songs.

Still Here by Langston Hughes

This poem was written towards the end of Hughes's life. It talks about how he has been through a lot and weathered many storms. Despite all of the adversity he has faced he is "Still Here" and not going away any time soon. Hughes is a very tough man and it is shown in this poem.

Faith is a Fine Invention by Emily Dickinson

This short poem by Emily Dickinson that pokes fun at faith. It says how people will always believe however when it comes down to it the truth lies in science. Dickinson was one of the greatest poets of all time and this is a prime example of her greatness.

The Toucan by Shel Silverstein

This shows Shel Silverstein's creativity really well. This entire poem is just a play on the word toucan. It is interesting to see all of the different rhymes Silverstein is able to come up with.

Insomniac by Maya Angelou

This poem is about exactly what the title says, insomnia. Angelou talks about how all her attempts at trying to sleep are futile and useless just like wounded pride. She says that not being able to sleep is more painful than having wounded pride. That is a powerful statement because hurting your pride isn't always a terrible thing because usually you learn something from it.

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

This is probably one of Maya Angelou's most famous poems. It is a great inspirational poem about inner struggle and overcoming adversity. Despite everything that was thrown at Angelou, she was still dedicated to overcoming it. This is epitomized in this poem called Still I Rise.

Ennui by Langston Hughes

This is the point in Langston Hughes life where he was extremely poor. In this poem he is expressing his displeasure with his situation. He is desperately looking for a way to better his situation.

Justice by Langston Hughes

This poem is very short, yet very meaningful. He talks about how justice is blind and also talks about how blacks are very familiar with it. This is a very sarcastic poem because he does not believe that american justice is blind, because of all the discrimination the blacks were facing.

Cross by Langston Hughes

Cross is a reference to Hughes's mixed racial background. His mother is african american while his father was caucasian. He talks about how each of his parents lived very different lives and he wondered how his life was going to be since his was biracial.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is speaking about how life is empty without dreams. Dreams he believes gives color to the world and if no one dreamed the world would be extremely boring and dull.

Modern Poets and Modern Poetry by Francis Duggan

Duggan talks about how he is a simple laborer from Ireland. He says that modern poetry is quite complex and he prefers a simple rhyme scheme better. I feel the same way, I like the rhyming and I tend to become very confused with modern poetry.

Its Dark In Here by Shel Silverstein

This is a very simple poem just meant to be a joke about writing a poem inside a lion. He says that his hand writing may not be great because it is hard to see inside the lion.

Gypsy by Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg goes and speaks to a gypsy and asks her to speak upon old wisdom. The wisdom she gives him is a bit of a conundrum, but it is something to think about. The wisdom is this tell no man anything for no man listens, yet hold thy lips ready to speak.

Sick by Shel Silverstein

Peggy Ann McKay, the main character in this story, is trying to make excuses so that she can stay home from school. She is making up a lot of excuses on why she can not go to school. At the end of the poem her mother tells her that it is Saturday so she says goodbye I'm going out to play.

Smart by Shel Silverstein

In this poem a father gave his young son a dollar for being so smart. Throughout the poem it is pretty apparent that this child is not very smart because he continually trades his dollar into less and less money. Eventually he works his way down to five cents which he believes is more since it is more in quantity.

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Robert Frost is talking about the end of the world, and it seems as though he is speaking of hell. He talks about how people have different opinions of the way hell will be, either really cold or really hot, symbolized in fire and ice.

Forgotten Language by Shel Silverstein

I believe that in this poem Shel Silverstein is talking about how we used to be much more in touch with nature. We are all wrapped up in ourselves and making money that we ignore the beautiful things in life. We don't just admire the world for what it is anymore.

One Inch Tall by Shel Silverstein

This poem is very funny, at the end I like how he pretended as though he was actually one inch tall. He says that it took him fourteen years to write this poem because he was just one inch tall. Shel Silverstein's poems are usually just for fun and don't have much of a deeper meaning. This is evident in this poem.

Where the sidewalk ends by Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is one of my favorite poets of all time. He is extremely creative and this poem is one of his finest. He has a way with words and it is really shown in this poem, Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Death by William Butler Yeats

In this poem Yeats speaks about how men have created death. Everywhere they go death follows them and how man is so familiar with death. It is a bit cynical of a poem however I like it a lot.

America by Henry van Dyke

Henry van Dyke in this poem speaks about his love for the great country we live in, America. He speaks of all the different features that America has to offer. For example he speaks of They rolling plains; thy rivers' mighty sweep, thy mystic canyons deep. It is a great poem that shows van Dyke's patriotism.

I Believe in ....

Karma

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

-Ever since I was a little kid I really liked this poem and Shel Silverstein is one of my favorite poets. It brings me back to my Elementary School years and also brings back many fond memories. This was by far my favorite poem from Shel Silverstein, and when I have kids I will read this poem to them just like my parents did for me. That is why I selected this poem to post on my blog.

Retirement

Right now I am 60 and I am reflected back on my life, and I can truly say that I was successful. I had a great family with a loving wife and two great kids. If I had made no money for all of my life and I just had my family I would consider myself a success. I only added to my successfulness by making a lot of money during my lifetime. I am definitely successful because I also live in a beautiful apartment that overlooks Central Park. I have it made now and I don't ever have to worry about financial troubles again; I can live the life that I have always hoped to. In my mind I had a truly successful life and am proud of what I accomplished.

Describe this...

This object is quite small and to many insignificant. However to some people it is life and is what they make their money on. It has small craters all around it and is comparable to the moon's surface. This object is by far one of the hardest things to control like a large unruly crowd. To those who can control it and make it do what they want you can make a lot of money with it. Don't underestimate its small nature because it is more complicated then it first seems.

On Barack Obama's Inauguration

Today is a momentous occasion however I feel that is being overhyped. It is crazy to think that just over a hundred years ago we had slavery and today we have a black president. African Americans have made great strives and now today and African American is running our great country. Our country has come a long way and hopefully Barack Obama is on the precursor of what is to come.

One time when I was younger I kept a pretty "big" secret from my parents. I put the quotations around big because in my mind it was very big however it was actually not a big deal at all. I was so worried that my parents would find out; I couldn't eat nearly as much as I was normally able to. My parents were becoming concerned about my eating habits and they eventually got the secret out of me. They practically laughed in my face when I told them what I was hiding from them. What my big secret was that I had accidentally stepped on a spider and killed it.

My New Years Resolution

Although I do feel that New Years Resolutions are somewhat of a waste, I will still post what I would like to accomplish in the New Year. I would really like to get better grades and do really well in school. I will try and make myself study much more than I do. There is not much to my New Years Resolution, I really would just like to get better grades.