Blog #2

The Flea was an interesting poem to me because of what it implied to the reader. The poem uses the action of a flea biting to describe a relationship between couples. It uses the analogy of the sharing of blood when a flea bites a person to relate it to intercourse. It relates it in a way that talks about intercourse as a flea, that once one is bitten, it keeps coming back to bite again and each time it seems to cause more pain. Once bitten by the flea, the rash that would result is like the aftereffect of having unmarried intercourse with another.

John Donne’s other poem, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning was also an intriguing read. It seems as if a close death provoked him to write this mournful poem because of how deep and meaningful it reads. It is very grand in scheme when it speaks about the planets moving like earthquakes and how humans do not see it what happens in the space between earth and the rest of the universe. However, it is also very personal such as when it discusses the love that people have for one another and how sometimes we can’t admit it because it takes away from the relationship we have. I really enjoyed hearing Donne’s musing on the loss of life and everything it means to him.

One of the most influential moments I had while serving others was during my service trip to the Dominican Republic. It showed me an entirely different side of the world that I had never seen before. I was originally nervous about the trip because I had no idea what my eyes would be open to. There was also the dangers of disease and the how this foreign country would react to my presence in their world. The nerves came and went while I served the underprivileged living in the dump or in the homes made of sheet metal. However, the images are permanently engrained in my head; I will never forget seeing dining rooms set up with plastic play chairs, the many abandoned children left in the orphanage or the unconditional love shown by those who let us stay in their homes. This relates to John Donne’s A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning because he talked about the unspoken love we have for one another. The people of the Dominican Republic took us into their homes without question and gave us their beds because we were their guests. I suppose this love that they had for me was something I will never forget about my experience in the Dominican Republic.

Fox Trot Fridays was a great read because of how true it was to the day. Fridays are simply the best. It ends the week which is filled with hard work and starts off a two day vacation. Rita Dove explains how easy going Fridays are when she states they are as easy as taking one day at a time. There is never heartbreak on Fridays she says because of the Paradise one feels one is in during the day. Fridays move quickly as if one is walking “heel-ball-toe” through the hours of the day. This is what Fridays mean to her and it certainly expresses how many others feel about the day.

Memorandum is not really the type of poem that most people are used to reading. It is basically a ranting memo about the authors past experiences with her boyfriends. However, the only thing that makes this a poem is that each new stanza/rant begins with “anything.” The repetition is what stood out to me and what made this a poem, not just a memo about her personal troubles. It was enjoyable, but it was also unconventional.