Poetry project I did for my creative writing class.

1. By,
Brady Montesrin

2. Dear Joey,
I created this digital book of poems for you because you are my best
friend.
You've been there for me through thick and thin, when life gets crazy.
You are my cousin and I've seen you work hard with school, work
itself, the military and life as well.
I read these poems and thought of you and how much your my
inspiration.
I even wrote a few poems as well.
This is for you in case you need inspiration to keep driving on.
I hope you enjoy them and share them with your buddies as well.
Sincerely your cousin,
Brady Montesrin

3. “The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost”
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

4. Explication Essay:
The Road Not Taken is about how the
speaker’s life has changed because of one life decision.
The speaker in the poem happens to be Robert Frost
himself so we get an insight on his life. The occasion of
the poem is simply him reflecting at a choice he made
early in his life. He clearly was trying to figure out which
path in life was right.
There are a lot of figures of speech presented “The scariest
in this poem. “Ages and ages hence” is actually a choice, may just
hyperbole, so is “and that made all the difference”. There be the best
are two types of alliteration presented as well; “Wanted choice every.” -
wear, worn, to way” and sigh/somewhere. The term Joey
wanting wear is a form of personification. The sentence
“traveler wishes he could travel both paths” is actually an
antithesis.
The tone is positive and slightly depressive. It
contains four quatrains with nine syllables and rhyming.
Every ending word pretty much rhymes as well. The title
symbolism is self-explanatory, talking about what road you
took in life. The poem itself makes you realize that you
can’t travel more than one road in life.

5. “Fire and Ice by Robert Frost”
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

6. Explication Essay:
“Your life can be
hard and
disastrous like fire,
or be calm land
fun like ice.” - Joey
The poem Fire and Ice has a dramatic situation. The situation is about
which way will the world end. Will the world end by fire or ice? The speaker
of the poem is the great author Robert Frost himself. He is addressing the
question to the reader of the poem. I’m not sure what the occasion is, I
think he is just pondering the idea. The subject is bold, it is talking about
how both fire and ice would be great destroyers and equal to one another.
There is alliteration in the poem. The forms of alliteration are
some/say, world/will, hold, who, favor/fire and many more. The phrase
“some say” is an anaphora. “But if it had to perish twice” this is a paradox.
As for the tone of the poem I would say it’s serious but casual.
It’s just one stanza and has a rhyme scheme of three units of end
rhyme. The title symbolism is simply that it talks about fire and ice. The
theme of the poem is that human emotions are like fire and ice; they can
destroy the life of civilization. You get mixed ideas as you read this so read
it several times.

7. “Past, Present, Future by Emily Bronte”
Tell me, tell me, smiling child,
What the past is like to thee ?
'An Autumn evening soft and mild
With a wind that sighs mournfully.’
Tell me, what is the present hour ?
'A green and flowery spray
Where a young bird sits gathering its power
To mount and fly away.’
And what is the future, happy one ?
'A sea beneath a cloudless sun ;
A mighty, glorious, dazzling sea
Stretching into infinity.’

8. Explication Essay:
The poem Past, Present, Future has
a dramatic situation. The situation is the author
asking a small child about their past. The author
decides to ask them about the present tense of
their life and the future too. The speaker of
course is the author which is Emily Bronte. She is
addressing a small child. The occasion must be a
time where she was sitting with a child talking
about life of some sort.
The subject is getting their
perspective on the past that of which might be
calm like an autumn evening or sad like the wind “Your past shouldn’t
sighs. Then they get the opinion and thoughts of
the present and the future. Figures of speech is effect your present and
something you find too. I know there is the present can only
alliteration like “An Autumn”, “with wind” and make you more
many more. There is personification as well. The determined to succeed
wind his given the aspect of sighing.
The tone of the poem is relaxing and curious. and be happy in your
The structure is 3 stanzas all quatrains. The future.” - Joey
rhyme scheme is lines one and lines three rhyme,
while lines two and four rhyme. The title
symbolism is that she questions the past to the
child and then asks them about the present and
thinks what the future might look like as well.
Symbolism itself is the evenings
represent the past being enjoyable while the wind
sighing is the time being sad. The present hour
symbolizes spring and the little ones getting
ready for the future. The future itself symbolizes
a romantic sunset. The theme of the poem is just
wondering what the emotions were in the past,
what they are in the present and what they will
be in the future.

9. “Success Is Counted Sweetest by Emily Dickinson”
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of Victory
As he defeated – dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear !

10. Explication Essay:
Emily Dickinson's poem called "Success Is Counted Sweetest
was written in 1859 and first published anonymously in the
Brooklyn Daily Union on April 27, 1864. The speaker is third
person which is the narrator. The subject of the poem is
understanding what success really means and there is a lot of
figures of speech as well. There is alliteration in lines 1-9. They
are success/sweetest, purple host, who/took/today, defeated/dying.
There is a paradox in lines 1-2, while at the end there is a
syncope which is the word ne'er.
The tone of the poem is really unemotional and impersonal at
least that is how it seemed to me. As for the structure of the poem
is three stanzas all made up of quatrains. The rhyme scheme is
abcd and there is no symbolism as far as I noticed. The theme
however is those who fail are the ones who understand and enjoy
success better. The diction of the poem is people who have success
usually want more and the failures are the ones who want it but
really understand what it means to win once they lose.
“Try and fail, try
and fail, it makes
winning more
better.”- Joey

11. “Wages by D.H. Lawrence”
The wages of work is cash.
The wages of cash is want more cash.
The wages of want more cash is vicious competition.
The wages of vicious competition is – the world we live in.
The work-cash-want circle is the viciousness circle
that ever turned men into fiends.
Earning a wage is a prison occupation
and a wage-earner is a sort of gaol-bird.
Earning a salary is a prison overseer’s job
a gaoler instead of a gaol-bird.
Living on our income is strolling grandly outside the prison
in terror lest you have to go in. And since the work-prison covers
almost every scrap of the living earth, you stroll up and down
on a narrow beat, about the same as a prisoner taking exercise.
This is called universal freedom.

12. Explication Essay:
The poem Wages has a dramatic situation
but that situation is simply the competiveness when it
comes to having money in life. The speaker I would say is
just the author sir D.H. Lawrence. He is addressing the
poem to the readers about the competition in life about
money and how it is like a circle of life almost. The
occasion is he must be reflecting on his life and how he is
with money. Maybe he’s been watching friends, family
and strangers and how they act with money as well.
The subject of the poem is simply how
money has a consequence of wanting more money. The
figures of speech are alliteration. The forms of alliteration “You have to fight to
are wages/work, wages/work/want. “Earning salary is a survive in life and
prison overseer’s job”, this is a form of a hyperbole.
Another hyperbole is “work-prison covers almost every money is a big part of
scrap of the living earth”. it. But no matter how
The tone of the poem is greedy. That is what much you have, it’s
the poem is about, greed and money. The structure is 5 not real happiness.” -
stanzas; it’s a quatrain, two sentences for the next three
stanzas and then another quatrain. The rhyme scheme Joey
does really not rhyme actually. The title symbolism is that
it is called wages and the poem is talking about how cash
as “wages” or rewards and how those rewards pay a price
too.
The symbolism in the poem is that cash
results into more wages and completion. It is like a prison
almost because you work hard just to be punished again
practically. The theme of the poem is basically already
said. The theme is about money, work, and how having
money and keeping it is like a prison. It has a hold on you.

13. “Go After Your Dreams”
No one can know the potential,
Of a life that is committed to win;
With courage - the challenge it faces,
To achieve great success in the end!
So, explore the Dimension of Greatness,
And believe that the world CAN be won;
By a mind that is fully committed,
KNOWING the task can be done!
Your world has no place for the skeptic,
No room for the DOUBTER to stand;
To weaken your firm resolution
That you CAN EXCEL in this land!
We must have VISION TO SEE our potential,
And FAITH TO BELIEVE that we can;
Then COURAGE TO ACT with conviction,
To become what GOD MEANT us to be!
So, possess the strength and the courage,
To conquer WHATEVER you choose;
It's the person WHO NEVER GETS STARTED,
That is destined FOREVER to lose!

14. Why Added
I included this in my selection simply because
it talks about life. I wrote this poem to get it
through to people that you must always go
after what you want in life. You cannot just
expect things to fall into your lap. You need
to figure out what you want in life and then
go for it. This poem is about what I learned
from you.

15. “Confused”
sitting in the room,
thinking about everything so far,
i am beginning to wonder
if life is supposed to be like this;
high on a pedestal one day,
kissing the dirt the next,
the balance keeps tilting
from the good to the bad;
nobody said life would be easy and simple,
but nobody said life can be so hard,
struggling through a hazy cloud of confusion,
life seems like the wicked witch of the west,
one hand giving things not asked,
while the other not giving things asked,
it’s like taking one step forward,
and two steps backward;
disheartened and feeling the blues,
the road to happiness seems to be enigmatic,
in this crystal maze of life
the game goes on until the end;

16. Why Added
I included this in my selection simply because it
makes you wonder about life. I’ve watched
you, all my friends and the rest of the family fall.
There are times when everyone seems to be so
happy and have the perfect life. The next day
we seem to have the worst luck ever. Life
shouldn’t be so hard and it shouldn’t be so
easy, but life is confusing and that’s what it
does to me. Life itself has a lot of life lessons to
be learned and I learned a lot from you.

17. “A Letter From A Solider”
I fight for you everyday
A sound of gun shots all around
For your safety and freedom far, far away
Bodies of young soldiers is all to be found
Everyday I fear that it may be my last
Bombs shattering the buildings apart
Looking at what was important to me in the past
Mirror the pieces that are also my heart
I choose this life, to fight
Every dying soldier causes me to tremble
For your freedom, your eternal right
All the soldiers will start to assemble
It gets lonely out in this far distant land
The greatest gift I can give
I have nothing but my gun and boots full of sand
Is to lay down my life so someone else may live
I pray to Jesus each and every night
All those young men who did not come home
That he may shield me from this next fight
Also left their family and children all alone
I live each day with fear of death
I'm here safe and sound
I never know when it will be my last breath
Now with my family on my own ground
"Lets Move Out" says my captain
I pray for my fellow soldiers everyday
Always worried about what will happen
I ask the lord to reward them for what they had to pay
I get my gear and my gun
Show mercy to all those who fell
I ask myself "How much more, before this is done?"
"lord, they have served their time in hell"
Bullets and RPG's zooming past my head
I write this letter to you and to all
I cant help but fear soon I will be dead
To tell you about myself and those who answered the call
Each and every second of life i cherish
Together we will get it done, we America....
Because I never know when I will perish
Are an army of one.

18. Why Added
I included this in my selection because it is
about life and the military. I wrote this because
you are my hero. You lived life here and it was
hard. You took punches for all of us. I see how
you wanted to change your life and you did it
by joining the army. Each day you’re over in
Iraq fighting for our country. You rather better
your life so you can risk it just so someone like
me can live free and for another day. You truly
are my hero.

19. “A Friend”
A friend is like a mirror in life You are my one and only friend
He or she must be trustworthy The one I treasures the most
That no heart gets broken Trust me, not for a dine on the table
A friend is the company Or for the fame at the very top,
That exists in times of loneliness Shall I ever betray you.
A friend is the standing wall Because I really want to be a friend
That one leans by when the time is due One to lean on in times of need
So make a friend with your conscience A special gift of life!
Because the eye may mislead And one of the best things one can ever be, That's what friends
are all about.
A friend shall surely be in need
That's why we must always be in deed
Friendships lasts at the absence of greed
A friend is a very wonderful gift of life
It's the tool that can change our lives
Either for good or still for bad
Some friends are dangerous, others are serious
So though we verily need friends in life?
We still also have to be careful

20. Why Added
I included this in my selection because everyone
deserves a friend. You have been my best friend all
through my life through thick and thin. I’ve been able to
trust you my whole entire life. We need one another in
order to survive another day of not knowing what is going
to happen. I wouldn’t trade you in my dear cousin for
anything in this world.

21. “Life Smiles Like A Sunshine”
A laugh as it adds curve to your face…
dispels the gloom and a sunshine to be
a fresh morning dew
tip of the peak with enlightened light
shimmer and sparkle and light like paradise to be
driving the clouds away…
a smile that strengthens the soul….
a whisper so pure gladdens the hearts
an unseen courage yet felt so strong….
a life full of laughter cheering the folks around…
a music in my ears
that still lingers in my heart
and the melody where my heart hears it
the ills of life depart…
surrounded by smiles…a happy feeling to be
a sunrise forever at the horizon of my smile forever i see
nothing but just a little curve…adding life to me
and singing the music..oh what a beautiful life oh thee
sugar sweet living with drops of honey
and sweeter then the life gets to me
embracing the beauty and the warmth of this life….
i welcome you oh sunshine
shining bright forever to me

22. Why Added
I included this in my selection because everyone needs a
reason to smile. It’s the smallest things in life that make
us smile. The sunshine’s each day we live it. I was sitting
by the river when I realized that the mountain next to me
reminded me of hanging out with you and the guys. We
were happy just joking around before you and them all
went off to the military and started your lives. I thought
this one might make you smile while you’re in Iraq and
you might find some good in the bad things you see.

23. • "Fire and Ice." By Robert Frost : The Poetry Foundation. Web. 06 May 2012.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173527>.
• "Past Present Future." Poets Graves. 2003. Web. 06 May 2012.
<http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/Classic%20Poems/Bronte/Past%20Present%20
Future.htm>.
• "The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost." The Road Not Taken- Poets.org -
Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 06 May 2012.
<http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15717>.
• "Success Is Counted Sweetest." By Emily Dickinson : The Poetry Foundation.
Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174990>.
• "Wages." Poets Graves. 2003. Web. 06 May 2012.
<http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/Classic%20Poems/Lawrence/wages.htm>.