Daniel+Varnis

__Iron Poetry 2012 __
 * Daniel Varnis **

// Intro: //

To start off, my name is Daniel Varnis. When I write poetry, I am not the type of person to think about it before I do so, then tackle the idea. I am the type of person that comes up with one idea, which is all. I shall begin to write, and then just let the emotions and thoughts come write from my head to the poem. I feel like when you do so, the poem has a more personal feeling that could be more interesting to the readers than something that is thought of beforehand, and then just wrote to be written. Whenever I do write, although I try to keep my poems as realistic and personal as possible, I still try to stick to the theme of rhyming. Here is an example of my techniques with rhyming, " I heard a whisper in my ear/depicting that there is nothing to fear." Also here is moment when my emotions literally poured out into a poem, "I am being raised to learn the value of money,/for the future I will be wise.//I am being raised to do all of my work,/to give me the understanding the baby years are over.//I am being raised to learn it can't all be mine, I need to understand the inequality of life.//I am being taught to not let go of your memories,/Harry Potter was watched by millions of adults. The reason I do so is I believe poems are also better when there is a lot of rhyming. Whenever I read a poem and there is rhyming, I notice that I read it more smoothly and I don’t get stuck on any parts, causing my to become uninterested and just forget about it. So as I write poems to this day and into the future, I will always try to write using a rhyming scheme so the reader stays interested and never gets stuck. Lastly, I my poetry isn’t formal, like at all. My definition of poetry is, “A way for oneself to express themselves how they feel they should without the restrictions of grammar and critics.” So if poetry is not formal, you will be able to get your exact idea out there with out a problem 99% of the time. //

// 1. //

// Poetry Quote // // "Poetry is as precise a thing as geometry." –Gustave Flaubert //

// 2. // // The Beginning //

Poem Title: Courage

The two poetic techniques of repetition and rhythm.


 * Feeling small
 * Getting over simple fears
 * Showing people I can do better
 * Have a good time, living it up
 * Thinking about my well being
 * Feeling the best I've ever had
 * Love and courage

__Small Part of Memory 1:__

Then I was asked to tread for 3 minutes straight. As I did it, it got harder, but I fought through it… so I completed it. Then for the last test, he asked me to jump off the high dive, and swim to the ledge to complete my test. As I stood at the top the blood flowing through my body was insane. I leap and it’s about a 4 second fall to the water, the adrenaline rush was amazing. I swam over to the ledge, and received my promotion to a blue bracelet. That bracelet siginified I was allowed in any part of the pool, I felt amazing.

__Small Part of Memory 2:__ As we are walk past the rides, and flashing lights, and stores, and games we reach a big white roller coaster. It read in big words “Fly The Nor’ Easter.” I really wanted to go on this ride but just from where I was standing near the station, it looked like a screaming metal death trap. My mom was encouraging me that I have to at one point get over this fear. I wasn’t sure what part of the roller coaster scared me exactly, maybe it was the part when you hear people screaming. As time passes, I’m convinced to ride it. We slowly go up the hill, fly down the hill, go through various flips and loops. I couldn’t believe what I was doing at the moment, everything was flying by so fast. About ten seconds in, I get excited and let go. There I am, eleven-year old Daniel riding the rollercoaster handless. When the ride was over, I begged my mom if I could get the picture of me on it. That picture was to prove to my friends I was no “wimp.”

Life is made of many parts, Love, Hate, Fear, Joy, and many more, None of which can be picked at a local mini-mart.
 * Courage**

I heard a whisper in my ear depicting that there is nothing to fear. I was told, "Life is just a game", you're the player, keep it fun and not so lame.

Obviously everyone has a fear or two, but courage shall help you push directly through. Never look back or you'll feel ashamed, just remember you don't have to impress, if you're willing to stay the same.

–Daniel Varnis

__Briana Hicks:__ + It has a really good rhyme scheme. + It can be targeted to anyone of any age. + It a but short, but has really good example of how fear is to a person. ? Who is this exactly about? ? What if you added some similes? ? What if you try to use the 5 senses more with describing you?

// 3. // // Ode Poem //

Poem Title: Ode to Fritz


 * Varied Line Structure
 * Odes are about an object
 * Description and Stories
 * Metaphors
 * Goes to Deeper Meaning

Ode to Fritz my affectionate, dearest cat. So lazy and fat almost seeming lifeless, does nothing but sleep and eat, when no one is home.
 * Ode to Fritz**

Open the front door of the house, walk in with a feeling of relief with a hint of tiredness, you're signing a death note.

Runs under your feet Its almost as bad as a trip wire in war. Trip over it, you're better off on the ground.

Although he makes numerous attempts to kill the ones who support him, it's not intentional, but more for support, this is to show there is still love when feeling down.

Ode to fritz as he lays on the sofa, looks like a beached cumulus cloud, getting ready to rain.

Has no purpose but to take up space.

Ode to Fritz for giving an idea to write about.

–Daniel Varnis

// 4. // // Found Poem //

Poem Title: Snippets of Daniel Varnis

Get up its time for school! What is in the test tube? I'm not cleaning it. LOL thats so hids! I bet you can't catch if you wanted too! How old do I look, 10? Are you freaking kidding me? My favorite color is orange. Last night I ate chicken cutlets. Our life is finite, but my love for you is infinite. Does this poem really only have to be 10 lines?
 * Snippets of Daniel Varnis**

–Daniel Varnis

// 5. // // I Was By... Poem //

Poem Title: I Was Raising-ed By

I was Danny
 * I Was Raising-ed By**

I was raised by Family and their rules, learning to become a young man.

I was raised by friends and playing videos games, learning to have an imagination and creative mind.

I was raised by Harry Potter, giving me something to look up at when there was nothing left.

I was raised by education and diversity, obtaining the ability to become successful and get through life.

I was Varnis

I am being raised to learn the value of money, for the future I will be wise.

I am being raised to do all of my work, to give me the understanding the baby years are over.

I am being raised to learn it can't all be mine, I need to understand the inequality of life.

I am being taught to not let go of your memories, Harry Potter was watched by millions of adults.

I am Daniel Varnis

–Daniel Varnis

// 6. // // Riff Poem //

//Stolen Line: "We have fallen into the place where everything is music."// //Poet: Coleman Barks//

Poem Title: The Power of Music

We have fallen into the place where everything is music, the word everything can't be overstressed, music is too powerful.
 * The Power of Music**

It may be unnoticed, but you make music when you walk. Just to think that you walk, you have a beat, you breath you have an instrument, the way you sway away shows no delay.

Life is a big song depicting reality, we are the notes of this masterpiece.

–Daniel Varnis

// 7. //

// Imagist Poem //

Poem Title: The Lighter

When times get dark, and emotions get cold, throw up your lighter, you're not alone.
 * The Lighter**

This simple tool could be used for good and bad, but phases like that, last as long as a fad.

The main use of this simple tool is to smoke, but then your lungs get clogged up, turning them black, causing you to choke.

A flick of a switch, nothing more, how could this weapon be so highly adored.

Yes a weapon, that's what I said, burning down houses, starting with beds.

That is the truth, yes it sounds vulgar. But many stories hide, in that small plastic container.

–Daniel Varnis

Feedback: + Nice descriptions + I like the last stanza -- it surprises... ? Can you use more metaphor or imagery that goes beyond the ordinary ? Seems like there are some typos -- "throw up //you// lighter" ? ? The first stanza was the one that I connected with the least

__Syntax__ – Rules of grammatical formation.

Example poem: **Ode to the Diasporican by** María Teresa Fernández (AKA Mariposa)

Feedback for Daniel: (+) You divided Daniel and Varnis. You connect the name "Daniel" with your past experiences and "Varnis" with your current upbringing. (-) I wonder how you can play with words more. Use live words. (-) I wonder how you can give life to all of the things that have influenced you. My by "Humanizing" let's say money, or school. Make these things as human as you. (+) I like that you show two sides/versions of your self Overall, I feel as if you need a little bit more color (word wise and grammatical-structure wise) in this poem. You have all of your thoughts laid out, now it's time to make it personal and to add variety of word choice. Also try experiment with the way that you lay your verses out. -Natalie

// 8. //

// Detailed Analysis – Charles Bukowski //

To begin, I would like to acknowledge him for his unique characteristics and his strange, but entertaining forms of poetry. Before I began to read some of his poetry, I did some background information on him. Well he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. When I say that, I don’t mean he isn’t smart based on literature and poetry, but he was unintelligent ethically. From the information that was received, he was a heavy drinker, causing him to go to a bar almost every day. Then on top of this bad drinking problem, he would go out to the track a few times a week where horses race. He would go there, watch them race and gamble the small portion of money he had left after wasting it on alcohol. At the end of the day, Bukowski would be so out of it from too much alcohol consumption, he would just sit down and write. He would write until he has passed out on his desk. As this study is continued on, there will be snippets of plays depicting his behaviors and styles. Let me just start off by saying, his poems are stupidly amazing… if that made any sense. To close up, he did have a few problems with the law for many minor reasons that I don’t find important, but it could be something that is key to understanding his intricate personality and lifestyle that made his poetry strange and interesting to all types of poetry readers.

Where to start, where to start? Maybe I shall start off with his poem called __40,000__. It is a very short poem, so here is the entire thing, “at the track today,/Father’s Day,/each paid admission was/entitled to a wallet/and each contained a/little surprise.” Usually a detailed poem analysis would be line-by-line, but I felt as though this poem was able to be question as a whole, hopefully this is what Bukowski expected from his readers. After reading this poem about two or three times, I came to a vague realization of what this poem is about. He was well known for being a drunk, going to the tracks all day, and spending all of his money on alcohol. When the poem says, “each paid admission was/entitled to a wallet/and each contained a/little surprise.” I think this was a time that Bukowski actually lost at something that he thought he was good at, but then again, he could’ve won. Again, due to him coming home completely intoxicated, going deep into detail with his poetry wasn’t something he saw as a necessity. Now back to the poem, he could’ve won. Since the poem his named __40,000__, it could mean he lost 40,000 dollars, lost 40,000 dollars, lost to winning 40,000 dollars or even this poem can mean something completely different and I am not noticing it, but the list goes on and on. I also saw these lines, like it was saying that who ever came in and paid admission was almost obligated and had to spend their money and gamble.

To close up, I would just like to emphasize that Charles Bukowski was really an amazing poem, and it was a shame that he had to die from leukemia back in 1994, a year before I was alive. If Bukowski was still alive to this day, I would continue to read his nonsensical, interesting, explicative pieces of work describing his life drowned in alcohol and the passion for seeing horses run in a circle.

// 9. //

// Art Work // __ The Lighter __

// 10. // // Audio/Video of Poem // media type="file" key="The Lighter.mp3" width="240" height="20"