Michael+Roth+Stuff

"Poetry is as precise a thing as geometry."

Eaten by a grue: If Jhonas hadn't gone into the dark, The pitch black place that he had always feared, Perhaps the grue would not have hit its mark, And Jhonas' neck would not have been so speared. Oh, you are likely to be eaten now? No way, thought he, shall I be quickly slain! I'll beat it now, he said, but hmm, oh, how? Just flat out wrong, was he, he's now in pain. And now he lays right on the ground near death. He dropped the lantern on the attic floor. This, remembered he with his final breath: Twas dark, and he forgot where was the door. And so, as he lay on the floor, he cried, And then came three words. They said: "You have died."

Raised by family: I was raised by A cereal eating Pasta cooking Pizza every couple of weeks ordering "What do you want from Randazzo's" Kind of family.

A baseball throwing Basketball shooting Sport watching "What channel are the Phillies on" Kind of family.

A tee-shirt sporting Jeans wearing Clothe sharing "Wait, this is //my// shirt" "Eric has a bunch of hand-me-downs for you" Kind of family.

An elbows on the table Face //off// the table Chew with you mouth closed "Can you get me some water" Kind of family.

A "The Who" listening Classics loving Long musical car ride taking "We'll listen very song from A to Z, no skipping" Type of family.

I WAS RAISED BY FAMILY

Ode to music: Silence is golden, but music holds strength. When do you come? At day? At night? Whilst we are bored? Sad? Angered? Perhaps every time, when we are in need Of your healing power, your magical charm, Then will you come to us, offering your hand To lead us away, towards true peace, Towards our content, towards our calm, Our tranquility, our rest, Delivering us from silence, from the darkness, the sorrow. For silence is golden, but music holds strength.

The taste of joy: The sweet, ambrosial taste of joy. The flavor courses through not just mouth, but body, like the juice of some exotic fruit flowing over your tongue. So delicious, but deadly if tasted too long. It tastes ripe, just the right amout of flavor, not too little, not too much. It is the best thing you will ever taste, and when it is gone and only a sour remnant remains, you will crave it more than ever.

Poet statement: I don't strive to rhyme my poems, or write them in any special format. I usually just write and do way I think is necessary in order to make the poem feel right. I don't have any special technique, either, and the way that I write differs with each poem that I make. If it makes sense for the poem to have descriptive figurative language, then I will use that type of language. If the poem requires short sentence fragments and breaks, then I will format it in that way.

"When that I was and a little tiny boy, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, A foolish thing was but a toy, For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came to man's estate, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, 'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came, alas! to wive, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, By swaggering could I never thrive, For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came unto my beds, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, With toss-pots still had drunken heads, For the rain it raineth every day.

A great while ago the world begun, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, But that's all one, our play is done. And we'll strive to please you every day."

-William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's repeating language engages the reader and leads them on a long and relatable path until, at the end, it is all revealed to be a short and insignificant story. He begins by telling the reader that he was a little boy, and in the following three stanzas continues on his journey through life. The second line in all stanzas is "With hey, ho, the wind and the rain," and the fourth line in the first four stanzas is "For the rain it raineth every day," resulting in the reader putting rhythm to the poem and expecting those lines to continue in each stanza. The beginning of the second stanza is "But when I came to man's estate," the "but" implying that once he reached his goal, "man's estate," something happened to carry him further. This is confirmed in the third line of the stanza, "'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate." A similar pattern occurs for the next two stanzas, which both begin with "But when I came," one destination being to find a wife, and one to be in bed because of old age. The reader can identify with Shakespeare, everybody has lived at least some part of the life he describes. When a young child, everything was simple, foolishness was paired with toys at all times. Once passing into young adulthood, there were still some reluctant to accept the transformation, who would still treat the reader as a child. This relation continues throughout the rest of the poem, even if the life has not been lived in the same way. In the final two lines of the poem, Shakespeare reveals that all of this long and meaningful story was just one passed time, and that the play of life has ended. In the final line, "And we'll strive to please you every day," Shakespeare says, for the first time, "you." Following this line, the readers find themselves wondering who "you" is, and asking who Shakespeare is talking to.

"When I consider every thing that grows Holds in perfection but a little moment. That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows Whereon the stars in secret influence comment. When I perceive that men as plants increase, Cheerèd and checked even by the self-same sky, Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease, And wear their brave state out of memory; Then the conceit of this inconstant stay, Sets you most rich in youth before my sight, Where wasteful Time debateth with decay To change your day of youth to sullied night; And all in war with Time for love of you, As he takes from you, I engraft you new"

-William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's use of a ponderous attitude draws the reader in and makes the reader think, and his switch to direct speech has the reader imagine life's effect on themself. Shakespeare begins the poem by saying that "every thing that grows- Holds in perfection but a little moment." Here, the reader's attention is brought to the fact that all growth, of life or otherwise, is perfect for what may seem a minute amount of time. Shakespeare later goes on to say "When I perceive that men as plants increase," making the comparison of human life to plant growth. He shows the similarities between the two, and shows the reader just how alike they are. The reader finds themself thinking about life from a new perspective, an indirect and comparative point of view. Then, Shakespeare says "Then the conceit of this inconstant stay, Sets you most rich in youth before my sight," and speaks on how Time and decay debate, trying to change you from young to old, "To change your day of youth to sullied night." At this point, the reader begins to realize that the new perspective about which they have been thinking of life can easily be applied to themself. They see themself as a young child, and see the changes that have effected them between that time and the present. Suddenly, they can see the poem directly speaking to them, as if Shakespeare had created it knowing that they would read it and come to these realizations.

"Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck, And yet methinks I have astronomy; But not to tell of good or evil luck, Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality; Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell, Pointing to each his thunder, rain, and wind, Or say with princes if it shall go well By oft predict that I in heaven find. But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive, And, constant stars, in them I read such art As truth and beauty shall together thrive If from thyself to store thou wouldst convert: Or else of thee this I prognosticate, Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date."

-William Shakespeare

Shakespeare uses two large run-on sentences to manipulate the reader into curiosity, then understanding. He begins the poem with "Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck, And yet methinks I have astronomy," giving the first engaging statement to the reader. The reader thinks upon these first two stanzas, astronomy is a term being used, but Shakespeare specifically says that his knowledge is not gained from the stars, as most astronomers gain it. This makes the reader curious as to how he gains his knowledge, if not from stars. Shakespeare goes on to eliminate, in a slow and long sentence, options of things that he can derive from his unknown source of knowledge. He says that he can't see many of the things associated with fortune telling. He can't see good or bad luck, sicknesses, famine, the future, or the weather. After this long sentence, he finally reveals the source of his knowledge. "But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive." The reader can now suspect that Shakespeare is speaking to a lover, and he continues to mention the truth and beauty he sees in her eyes. He then says that she must store her knowledge and the beauty and wisdom of her eyes, because if she doesn't record it, her death would mark the death of truth and beauty.