Matthew+Simoneaux-+Billy+Collins

Smokey the Bear heads into the autumn woods With a red can of gasoline And a box of wooden matches.
 * Flames-Billy Collins**

His ranger's hat is cocked At a disturbing angle.

His brown fur gleamsunder the high sun As his paws, the size Of catcher's mitts, Crackle into the distance.

He is sick of dispensing Warnings to the careless, The half-wit camper, The dumbbell hiker.

He is going to show them How a professional does it.

This was one of the first Collins poems I came across but I must say that it is one of my favorites. In this poem Collins uses the very familiar figure, Smokey the Bear, in an ironic way to convey the deeper meaning of the work. As opposed to warning people about the dangers of forest fires, in this poem Smokey is driven by frustration to start one himself, showing the campers once and for all “how a professional does it”. Through this poem Collins is expressing his frustration with the members of society. Society if full of individuals such as Smokey hwo warn us of the dangers of drinking and driving, smoking, or eating unhealthily. But despite these many warnings presented to us in numerous ways we still act like “half-wits” and “dumbbells” and participate in the activities we have been constantly warned about. Smokey represents one of the many warnings who has become fed up with his recommendations falling on deaf ears and decides to show the ignorant masses the true consequences their actions can have. In this poem Collins uses vivid imagery, dark humor, and familiar references to enhance the meaning. He describes Smokey as having “His ranger’s hat cocked at a disturbing angle” and “his brown fur gleaming under the high sun”. From this description the reader gets a clear image of Smokey walking into a forest with evil intentions. Also the tone of this poem is somewhat humorous in a somewhat dark and twisted way. Even though the theme addressed in this poem is far from light, by making it slightly funny Collins makes it easier to relate to the themes and more fun to read. Also by using the well-known character Smokey the Bear, as opposed to another more obscure individual who gives warnings about the dangers of certain habits, Collins makes the poem accessible to all. The combination of clear imagery, ironic humor, and a familiar character Collins creates a easily accessible poem with a deeper meaning. Here is a picture that I think relates to the poem. http://rookery.s3.amazonaws.com/916500/916882_ef96_625x1000.jpg

The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I'm coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I get from reading in bad light-- A kind of measles of the spirit, a mumps of the psyche, A disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.
 * On Turning Ten- Billy Collins**

You tell me it is too early to be looking back, But that is because you have forgotten the perfect simplicity of being one And the beautiful complexity introduced by two. But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit. At four I was an Arabian wizard. I could make myself invisible by drinking a glass of milk a certain way. At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window Watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly against the side of my tree house, And my bicycle never leaned against the garageas it does today, All the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, As I walk through the universe in my sneakers. It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends, Time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe There was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine. But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life, I skin my knees. I bleed.

In “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins addresses the very pertinent topic of growing up. The reality that we are not young and innocent anymore is a sad truth that we all must one day face when we begin to get older. Although at the time most of look forward to getting older and being able to stay up later and handle new responsibilities, the child in this poem realizes that as he gets older he will be forced to leave the joys of childhood behind. He reminisces on the fun he was able to have in his younger years delving into his imagination, becoming an “Arabian wizard”, “a soldier”, or even “invisible”. Sadly though, this child realizes that as he grows up he will be forced to accept the harsh reality of the world. In this poem Collins is saying that although many look forward to growing up, it is really the greatest tragedy of life. The child in this poem has the correct perspective on the issue and therefore greatly dreads the fact that he is getting older. He knows that now he will be forced to encounter the cruelty and pain of the real world. Collins enhances the meaning of this poem through his word choice and imagery. When the child is describing his younger years he uses words such as “perfect” and “beautiful”. By using these positive words he highlights the benefits and simplicity of being a toddler. Also when describing his younger years the child describes himself in many different fun professions and having light under his skin. These descriptions only further highlight the benefits of being younger and make growing old seem a real tragedy. In contrast to the pleasant descriptions of being a single-digit age, the child uses words like “disfiguring”, “solemnly”, or “drained” to describe his future. Also the child realizes that underneath his skin is no longer just light, but in fact blood, and that if he trips he will bleed. This sad description makes the reader realize that growing up really is very sad and that being an innocent child really is best.

Here is an image that relates to the poem. http://data.whicdn.com/images/7167080/tumblr_lghiijfSHv1qf9gpco1_500_large.jpg?1297777602


 * The Lanyard - Billy Collins **

The other day I was ricocheting slowly Off the blue walls of this room, Moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano, From bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor, When I found myself in the L section of the dictionary Where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist Could send one into the past more suddenly— A past where I sat at a workbench at a camp By a deep Adirondack lake Learning how to braid long thin plastic strips Into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard Or wear one, if that’s what you did with them, But that did not keep me from crossing <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Strand over strand again and again <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Until I had made a boxy <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Red and white lanyard for my mother.

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">She gave me life and milk from her breasts, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And I gave her a lanyard. <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">She nursed me in many a sick room, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lifted spoons of medicine to my lips, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Laid cold face-cloths on my forehead, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And then led me out into the airy light

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And taught me to walk and swim, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard. <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here are thousands of meals, she said, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And here is clothing and a good education. <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And here is your lanyard, I replied, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which I made with a little help from a counselor.

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here is a breathing body and a beating heart, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Strong legs, bones and teeth, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp. <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">And here, I wish to say to her now, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">That you can never repay your mother, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">But the rueful admission that when she took <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The two-tone lanyard from my hand, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was as sure as a boy could be <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">That this useless, worthless thing I wove <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Out of boredom would be enough to make us even

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> There comes a time in most of our lives when we realize the monumental sacrifice and commitment that our mothers are forced to make in order to care for us and raise us right. Sadly shortly after we become aware of this great cost that our mothers have paid for us, we also realize that nothing will able to adequately repay them for their sacrifice. In his poem “The Lanyard” Billy Collins remembers a moment when he attempted to repay his mother with a simple gift: a lanyard made of plastic strips. Collins opens the poem in the present describing him simply wasting time when he sees the word “lanyard” in the dictionary. The sight of this word reminds him of his childhood when he made one for his mother. Collins open this nostalgic story with the confession that he had no idea what the purpose of a lanyard was, but that he decided to make one regardless. The description of how useless a lanyard truly is shows how the gift he is attempting to repay his mother with is in fact pointless and will in no way be fair payment for the sacrifices his mother made. He then goes on to describe all the vital tasks his mother performed in order to raise him. By listing all that his mother has done for him, Collins only enhances the insufficiency of his pathetic lanyard. Finally at the end of the poem Collins admits “that you can never repay your mother”, despite what many young boys might think at the time. <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In order to display his feelings of inadequacy Collins chooses to tell this poem from a first person point to view. By choosing this unique perspective Collins truly reveals to the reader the young boys false sense of adequacy. Collins also uses an extended flashback to help convey the meaning of the poem. This allows the reader to contrast the authors perspective as an adult and as a child, revealing that later in life the author came to realize that nothing he ever could have done could truly repay his mother for her great sacrifice.

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here is a video of Collins reading this poem []


 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hangover- Billy Collins **

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: -webkit-left;">If I were crowned emperor this morning, <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Every child who is playing Marco Polo

In the swimming pool of this motel,

Shouting the name Marco Polo back and forth

Marco Polo Marco Polo

Would be required to read a biography

Of Marco Polo-a long one with fine print-

As well as a history of China and of Venice,

The birthplace of the venerated explorer

Marco Polo Marco Polo

After which each child would be quizzed

By me then executed by drowning

Regardless how much they managed

To retain about the glorious life and times of

Marco Polo Marco Polo

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I think almost everyone has at one point or another participated in a game of Marco Polo. This very enjoyable, but nonetheless very childish game is unfortunately very loud. It never occurred to until after reading this poem that this game is most likely incredibly annoying to those who are forced to watch and listen to this game being played by numerous screaming children. In his poem “Hangover” Collins describes his frustration with such children who insist on playing Marco Polo in his motel pool. Collins opens the poem with the ridiculous conditional statement, “If I were crowned emperor this morning”. This opening line sets the stage for the very humorous and sarcastic poem that is to follow. He then proceeds to state the ridiculous punishments that he would inflict on those caught playing the harmless game of Marco Polo if he were in fact emperor and finally reveals that he would in fact execute all the children who were caught playing this game. Although this poem has a very sarcastic tone, it in fact contains a deeper meaning. By making the narrator of this poem so incredibly harsh towards the children, he is defending the innocence of childhood. The cruel narrator shows how unreasonable many adults can be in suppressing the imagination and fun of children, when in fact they should simply allow them to enjoy their innocence.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In this poem Collins uses a first person narrator to help enhance the adult’s annoyance with the children. He also puts the words “Marco Polo Marco Polo” in between each stanza to help the reader feel the situation that the narrator is in and sympathize more with the annoyance he feels. In order to help exemplify the sarcastic tone of the poem, Collins uses vivid imagery of the punishment that the narrator wishes to enact upon the children. By making the image so clear and ridiculous Collins helps develop the sarcastic tone he is trying to establish I the poem.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here is a video of Collins reading “Hangover” []

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">