The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell pg. 639

I'm a military mom so I found this poem interesting. My son is not a gunner man but he has Marine friends who are. This poem is very short and hard to understand. Again. I had to read the brief explanation underneath. :0 I am not a fan of war and fighting ofcourse but I did like the poem. This poem is for the manly man. Men would like this one and understand this one better than women I think.

Where Children Live by Naomi Shihab Nye pg. 642

This was a happy poem. I love children and everything they represent. They bring such joy and freshness to our world. This poem is one everyone should read. It will make you smile just by imagining the toys in the yard and the laughter in the air. Children are so innocent and pure and have so much to offer. I feel that children naturally brighten up any place. I prefer color, noise, and comotion. I can't stand dead air and boring dullenss around me. That's why I have chose to work with children all these years. I wouldn't change it for anything in this world. A really sweet poem.

On My First Daughter by Ben Jonson pg. 640

I am not a fan of this poem. I found it hard to read and confusing. I am very glad there was a brief description below it which did help a little.  There is not much to say about it. I have a daughter so thats what made me want to read it. I was disappointed when I read it. It is another sad poem. It was sad about the daughter dying at age 6 months. Ofcourse I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks pg. 634

I thought this poem was sad. I believe abortion is a person's right. I feel individuals need choices. This poem is so detail about what this child who was "killed" aborted will never see or do. Again, it is sad to me. I mean I have never stopped to look at this way. This poem was right on. I am a mother of three so maybe that's why it sadden me so. I don't think a man would read this poem and feel the same way as I do. This poem is a must read for every young or old female. I feel us women are born naturally with maternal extincts.

Schoolsville by Billy Collins pg. 624

I actually liked this poem. I could sense that this man had been a teacher for many years and he loved teaching. He really enjoyed teaching. Everything around him reminded him of teaching his students. I have worked in childcare for 19 years and I know how he feels. You are constantly reminded of the children you come in contact with through out the years by certain things you hear or see. I think this poem is great to read especially if you are a teacher in any kind of way.

What Comes to Mind When I Hear the Word Poetry?

When I hear the word poetry, my first thought is confusion. I am not a big fan of poetry myself. I think poetry is hard to understand at times. I may think the author is talking about one thing and he/she is talking about a whole different thing. Like our instructor, I too am a fan of Dr. Seuss. I have worked with children for about 19 years and I have read tons of Dr. Seuss a thousand times over. He was a genius indeed. I hope while working with this poetry section I will learn to enjoy poetry a little more. I read over many of the poems in our book and some just don't make sense to me:). Oh well. that's what this class is for.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Well today is St. Patrick's Day!!:) The kiddos at work today had fun wearing their green and looking for those who didin't!! They were sure hoping to pinch someone! LOL!! The weather was beautiful so we got to get outside to run and play a little. It actually got pretty warm! I am sure looking forward to tomorrow since it is Friday! YAY!!! We don't have too much planned for a change. The yard is looking kinda shabby, so we need to work on that a little. I hope everyone has a great weekend doing whatever is they love and with whoever they love. Let's make every minute count!!