Jackson, Wordsworth, Bolan

 The selection of these three poems displays a recurring theme of sorrow. Kara Jackson’s poem “anthem for my belly after eating too much”, highlights the positives and negatives of food consumption. Jackson shows appreciation, and guilt for her gut. The third stanza of Jackson’s poem reads, “at the bottom of my tummy, my belly, a country I’m trying to love”. This stanza leads me to believe that although the speaker has eaten too much, they’re still doing everything in their power to see things on the brighter side. This deeply saddens me because I know that people can be hard on themselves for doing things the only way they know-how. In this poem it’s food consumption, the speaker knows that it’s eaten too much but they still overlook it and try to make things seem as normal and happy as possible. In reality, many people go through tough times but the toughest part is choosing to remain optimistic and to move on with your life. William Wordsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud” takes the reader on a journey as one floats through life in comparison to the feeling of a lonely cloud. This poem is lonely and reflective. The second stanza reads, “Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way, they stretch in a never-ending line Along the margin of a bay”. William's use of a rhythmic pattern and imagery puts the audience into the perspective of the speaker as he imagines himself gazing at the night sky. This saddens me because there is some incapability stopping the speaker from going out in the real world to actually go out and see these views for himself. Although the entire poem isn’t carried out in a sad tone, it’s very common to find an individual whose days are lived as described by the speaker, day in and day out spent reminiscing and reflecting on what used to be. Eaven Bolen’s poem “Quarantine” describes the details of a couple’s final moments spent together before departing from life. This poem is cold and heartbreaking. The third stanza reads, “In the morning they were both found dead. Of cold. Of hunger. Of the toxins of a whole history. But her feet were held against his breastbone. The last heat of his flesh was his last gift to her”. This stanza helps the audience understand the sudden impact of death, and how little time left we may have with our loved ones at a time of despair. This saddened me the most because due to the condition each character was in, there was little time for either of them to survive so one sacrificed their body heat for the other, ultimately leading to the death of both characters.