6 poems

1. The Vacuum- Howard Nemerov (603)
2. The Fury of Overshoes- Anne Sexton (606)
3. We Real Cool- Gwendolyn Brooks (655)
4. Sex Without Love- Sharon Olds (692)
5. Leaving the Motel- W.D. Snodgrass (621)
6. The Whipping- Robert Hayden (993)

I liked reading "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks. While flipping through the pages of my Norton, I was first interested because of the length, and I saw that it was written in 1950 so I knew I wouldn't have to read any Shakespeare or old English type language. I liked how the author has a very care-free, laid back attitude about life. When she talks about "we," it is probably about her and her friends, and how they are living for the moment. It was a short, easy to understand, chill poem. I was also surprised to find out it was written by a woman in the 1950's. It seems rebellious of a women to write.

The other poem I want to write about is "Sex Without Love" by Sharon Olds. I was intrigued by this poem because of the writer's point of view, and almost felt somewhat offended and defensive while reading it. While some might say that the author simply just doesn't understand how people can have sex without love, I took her words as somewhat insulting. When she said "Wet as the children at birth whose mothers are going to give them away," made me think that she's saying because someone's mother had sex without love, and ended up giving the child up for adoption, the child is going to "mess up" also and have sex without love. I also got pissed when she said "they are like great runners: they know they are alone." To me it doesn't seem like she is really trying to understand how people have sex without love, but belittle those who have.