"In a Country" Poetry Project
Augustra Tostrud, Maggie Hohfeler, Joy Kim, and Mayuri Raja
In a Country
By Larry Levis
My love and I are inventing a country, which we
can already see taking shape, as if wheels were
passing through yellow mud. But there is a prob-
lem: if we put a river in the country, it will thaw
and begin flooding. If we put the river on the bor-
der, there will be trouble. If we forget about the
river, there will be no way out. There is already a
sky over that country, waiting for clouds or smoke.
Birds have flown into it, too. Each evening more
trees fill with their eyes, and what they see we can
never erase.
One day it was snowing heavily, and again we were
lying in bed, watching our country: we could
make out the wide river for the first time, blue and
moving. We seemed to be getting closer; we saw
our wheel tracks leading into it and curving out
of sight behind us. It looked like the land we had
left, some smoke in the distance, but I wasn't sure.
There were birds calling. The creaking of our
wheels. And as we entered that country, it felt as if
someone was touching our bare shoulders, lightly,
for the last time.
Sonic Analysis
Words that contribute to a positive, loving, happy tone: love, inventing, sky, flown, evening, blue, moving, birds, leading, lightly
Many of the words used in this poem a words that are light and make the reader feel good to read. They make the reader feel emotion and feel connected to the story.
Tonal Analysis
First Stanza:
- first sentence: llighthearted, amused, passion for building a new contry
- "yellow mud": anxiety, fear, soft
- "there will be no way out": pause, hopeful, excited, thoughtful, imaginative, louder
Second Stanza:
- new tone of voice: louder, stronger, neutral
- increase in volume, excitement, energy
- "the land we left": still enthusiastic, but recall anxiety of first stanza, softer
- end with calmer, more excited tone that portrays realization
Artistic Connection
Thematic Connection
- Work hard, and get good results.
Personal Appeal:
- If you try, you will encounter problems, but you will make progress. If you do not try, you will just be stuck.
"Innocence Is A Harmonic Restoration Seed" by Terence George Craddock
innocence is a blessing easily tarnished
innocence sees beauty even in dark souls
innocence has belief to calm brutal beasts
innocence is a sacred gift easily forfeit lost
innocence has faith to restore hardened hearts
innocence has vision to invoke creative remedies
innocence is a unique seed of passion harmonies
innocence has truth to see path to restorations
innocence has patience to work new miracles