Friday, April 1, 2016

Jack




Jack

He had a reputation
for being a prankster
and a tease,

but if you could
stop time,
somehow freeze

the moment,
you would realize
that he's

not forcing them
to do this. All they want
is to please.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016









10 comments:

  1. These family pictures are going to be a treasure with your poems, Mary Lee. Beautiful start to April. They are looking so intently at him, aren't they?

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  2. What a fantastic photo, Mary Lee. I like the lines "if you could/stop time/somehow freeze/the moment", which highlighted the photograph. I also liked the (far-apart) rhyme--I'm sure there's a name other than far-apart-rhyme--"tease" and "please". Your language is so playful!

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  3. Here's my entry. Probably not going to write every day, but will try every other day!

    http://poemplace.edublogs.org/2016/03/30/one-brilliant-day/

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  4. OK, ummm, so here we go…


    PERSPECTIVE

    he is smart
    muscular
    sophisticated

    when he says
    hop on
    see the world
    please the master

    his companion
    slower
    weaker
    fiercely loyal

    acquiesces without question

    he does not understand
    he will fall the farthest
    hit the hardest
    hurt the most

    (C) Carol Wilcox, 2016

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    Replies
    1. Carol,
      I really like that change in perspective in the last stanza. "he" being one early in the poem and "he" being another later. Cool beans. I also like the repetition in the last three lines. Thanks!

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    2. This poem says so much about what could be behind the photo, but also about the way relationships can work. Double wow.

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  5. OK, so I'm not exactly in the flow yet. Forgot to comment. I love the way these dogs are soooo focused on the man (is that your dad? grandfather? uncle?). I love the rhyme scheme, too, and the way you broke the stanzas- really interesting!

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    Replies
    1. The thing is, we're not exactly sure who the people are in most of the photos I've chosen. Between my brother and me, we're thinking this could be one of my dad's cousins, and the guy with the superman pose coming up this week is my dad for sure. But for most of the photos, we just don't know. They could be friends of some family member in the past, or a shoestring relative. The truth has been lost, which is what makes it so fun to create a NEW truth!

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  6. I love this idea of the old photos. Will try to write some along with you.

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  7. Yes, all they want to do is please! Love this project, Mary Lee! xo

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