Poetry Blog

We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks was a poem that stuck out to me. It was so blunt, so true. It simply tells the rebellious lifestyle that some people choose, and the last line shows the outcome, “We die soon.” Making choices that are ‘cool’ are not always so cool in the long run, especially when you look at the consequences. I wonder though, if someone makes those choices in the first place, are they just going to smirk at this poem? Or could it help them to look at their choices differently, and possibly change the future choices? I felt this poem was mocking kids who drop out of school, lurk in the night, etc. But I also am a person who finished school, was always home early, and never got into trouble. So it is hard for me to look at it in the perspective of someone ‘cool’ as the poem implies.
I also really liked Linda Pastan’s poem Marks. I thought it was interesting to see a mother’s view of how she is always being observed, judged, and graded. I know that I feel that way as a student, as a friend, as a daughter, and as a sister. I used to think it was just temporary, something I would outgrow. But I realize that everyone is judged, and that is reality. The poem really hit me when I read the last line, “I’m dropping out.” It was one of those things you read and think that you have to reread it! You go back, read it again, and still the ending has not changed. Life is tough, life is hard. And being judged makes it all the more difficult. It was interesting how each member of the family graded her differently. The father with letter grades, the son with average score, and the daughter as pass/fail. Luckily they all graded her well. But sadly, that wasn’t enough. So, is she dropping out as mother who does laundry, cooking, and cleaning? Is she dropping out as mother altogether and running away? Or is she dropping out as in committing suicide?