White Lake

White Lake

I take in a deep breath,
And I begin choking with joy.

“I smell White Lake”
I say

I smell Mickey mouse pancakes.
I feel sand
all the way up my ankles
And there are playing cards sticking to
A maple syrup drop left behind
On the table.

My mother replies,
“Sweetie, that is the smell of mildew.”



This is kind of a bitter sweet poem. It’s a childhood memory of spending time at the lake, but it also shows how memory can be distorted.   The speaker uses specific detail to create an atmosphere of happy memories, a beach, a special breakfast children like, card games. But then the words, “choking” and the fact that the mother is smelling mildew gives the feeling that there is more to this memory than the good things the speaker remembers, or chooses to remember about white lake.

Shrug.

Shrug

Dad might be in the other room with the brownies I left on the stove to cool.
He’ll cut the entire pan into four rows and two columns,
eat a quarter of the pan, and be able to claim he only ate two.
I stop baking to find drive through napkins on the counter.

My sister asked him if he saw the commercial
Where the father loses weight for his daughter’s wedding.
She tells him he looks so good and they cry.

He shrugged and said, I don’t watch commercials.



This poem is telling a story about a man who does not seem to know or care that his daughters are concerned with his health. It begins with the first stanza that gives detail about the problem, the second shows the daughters concern, and the third shows the father's indifference. I’m afraid that maybe this poem is being too obvious, so your suggestions are appreciated!  

"Explain in 25 words why you like the poem you chose," he said.

The Well-Tempered Clavicle

I've got to get back to the
lisping lung, the feral staircase,

the malignant gray plank, the
lethal begun. That is to say,

your lips, beautifully pressed
silencers,

a convulsant chest wall.

The plumb line's a pendulum.

Can I explain what I like about this poem in 25 words? Word choice, sounds, absurd images. Yes, I could sum it up in 5.

The Afterlife is a Dry County
Poems by Charmi Keranen
Big Wonderful Press

Cruz Takes Control

NOTES ON THE DISASTER

Tore the plastic tubes from my arms.
I still have the scars and I walked
Right out of that place. I say
If I'm going down, then I'll do
The killing-

This poem is empowering. Throughout this book the poems contain vivid images of pain, abuse, and a lack of control. Then boom! She takes control.

The Glimmering Room
By Cynthia Cruz
Four Way Books