Responding to Grace

Dwight opened his eyes and awoke, realizing it was all just a dream...

responding to Tessy

Dwight to Ryan, "Question. Do I get to play Angela's part too?"
Ryan says, kind of disappointed in his stupidity, "No, Dwight."
Dwight again, "Question. Do I get to use my bowstaff?"
Ryan, "No, Dwight"
Dwight, "well this is stupid. I quit," as he walks out the door.
Ryan looks at him with complete and utter confusion and frustration and turns off the camera.
*The office door closes, the cameras stop rolling, and we're left with a shot of the building fading into the background*
THE END

Responding to Lindsey

“You’ll never get away with this, even if…even if...even if..." Dwight stumbled through his line to an abrupt stop.
"Seriously Dwight? You forgot your line again?" Angela rolled her eyes in disgust. "You are such an idiot. I can't do this. I'm out."
"You're out??" Ryan threw down his camera. "No, no, no, you don't mean that. Let's just all take a coffee break."
"Yes, I'm out! Ryan, I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. I can't act with idiots who can't remember their lines, and I can't follow this crazy plot! Antarctica? Lava? Nunchucks? I don't even know what continent I'm supposed to be on."
Angela stormed past Dwight. "So yeah," she called over her shoulder. "I'm out."
"Good riddance," yelled Dwight.

Responding to Indigo :)

“Angela!?” everyone shouts in disbelief!

“yes, yes it’s me,” Angela says as she drops her Todd mask into the fake lava.

**Ryan: “CUT! No, no, no Angela you need more emotion!”

Angela rolls her eyes

**Ryan: “Okay well remember we are doing this for Michael.”

Angela: “fine”

**Ryan: “Action!”

Angela: “YES, YES IT’S ME! MUAHAHAHA!” she quickly gets up as Dwight stands in shock and confusion.

Dwight: “You’ll never get away with this, even if…

In Response to Rigg

I tap the screen of my iPad to pause the episode and sit in a state of utter confusion.

I figured the bonus episode would be different, but I did not expect it to take this drastic of a turn.

 I suddenly realize it's 2:17am and I've been re-watching the Office episodes for the past 5 and a half hours. I should absolutely go to bed, but I didn't give 8 dollars to iTunes for nothing.

**PLAY**

"...person lamo" said tod.

Dwight drops his nunchucks and reveals his light saber. As he switches it on, he flashes a look to Jim which reads as a mixture of pre-determined victory and blazing fury. Before Dwight can decide on the best opening move, Todd has revealed his own light saber and cackles loudly.

Jim winces as the bubbling lava seems to grow towards him. "YOU CAN DO THIS DWIGHT!" he yells as Dwight engages in battle with his greatest and most socially inappropriate foe.

After about 30 seconds of tension and saber swishing, Todd is wounded. Dwight laughs and moves to stand over the defeated. Before Dwight can claim victory however, Todd's body appears to morph into that of a more tiny structure... tiny and.... blonde... ?

respond to (stefan)

"No Tod don't, im begging you" says jim hanging over a pit of fire lava
"you buffoon" says tod
(in comes dwight spinning nunchucks with a belt of throwing stars and his bow staff taped to his back) "tod stop fight me leave jim clown spitting elmo"
"fight me you stupid face person lamo" said tod

Responding to Garrison

"He's landed the Falcons as a client for Athlead!"
"That's amazing!" Pam says to Michael.
"Oh and he also got kidnapped by Tod Packer, that buffoon. I'm sure he will be alright though, he's in good hands."
(From Jim's perspective, somewhere in the Utica branch)
"Todd, do you know who doesn't like you?"

"Todd what are we doing here? Tod stop that. Tod Please don't..."

Responding to Stephen

As the Helicopter neared the Arctic circle Dwight began to realize what was going on. He couldn't believe that he had fallen for another one of Jim's elaborate pranks.  You win again Jim Halpert

"The End", says Pam as she closes the book, kisses her kids good nite and heads to the kitchen, where she sits and the kitchen table. As she is sitting, planning her next mural the phone rings.

"Pam you have to come quick", says Michael "It's Jim, he's been..."

Responding to Hannah

Dwight climbed aboard the helicopter.

Jim called out as the blades began to spin.

"It's your chance to save the world Dwight. Don't mess it up. You have to stop Goldenface."

"I've prepared my entire life for this moment. I have my light saber, bo staff and my throwing stars. Only an idiot like you would possibly mess this up." Dwight responds, "You're just mad I was picked for a secret mission and you weren't."

Jim looks at the camera with his typical look.

In the helicopter Dwight pilots off somewhere towards the Arctic Circle.

Responding to Travis

Dwight saw the small man and could only hope this was another elaborate prank by Jim but he feared it wasn't. This time he had truly got himself into trouble.
"Are you ready?" said the small man.
Dwight paused for a moment and then said a confident "Yes!"
Jim said "don't forget your bo staff. You will need it."
The small man walked Dwight over to a helicopter and said,"This is as far as we go. You're on your own now. Do you know your mission?"
"YES!"

Continuing on from Kaitlyn

“Huh. This one’s alive.” Then one holding my feet says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Alarm Noise)
Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Falls out of bed. Hitting head on the night stand) 
Jeez that freaking hurt. What the heck was I dreaming about? 
(Gets up off the floor, Heads to the bathroom) 
Like seriously, what was that? Like it couldn't of been about how cool bears or something like that. I'm just surprised about how freaking detailed it was. Sadly I wont remember any of it in like five minutes. 

Later...
(Some where in Cuba) 
"Jim its time." said Dwight.
(Dwight hands Jim a bag full of Equipment that will be need) 
"All right, You ready for this" said Jim
(Six men enter the room with one short looking man in the middle) 
"You said you were coming alone!" said Dwight
"Well things change and it doesn't look good for you." said The Small Man.

Responding to Brook

“Remind me again why we’re kidnapping humans?” That we the first thing I heard as I awoke, feeling my arms and legs being held by something cold and slightly squishy.

“Because their literary the dumbest species in the universe, duh! I mean what else would be dumb enough to jump into a waterfall?” There was a gurglely, laughter like noise.

“I know, talk about stupid! At least the queen will be happy to have another human to add to her collection.” I opened my eyes to find myself being carried by the tentacles of two strange creatures I’ve never seen before. One of them glances disinterestedly at me.

“Huh. This one’s alive.” Then one holding my feet says.

Responding to Gabbi (with full story so far)

Here's the story so far:

My heart is pounding and my hands are slippery with sweat. I can barely hold on to the unfamiliar steering wheel as I careen down the darkened roadway. Headlights in my rear view mirror are getting closer, and I take my eyes off the road for a moment to gauge the distance. No, no, no . . . I feel the back end of the truck start to fishtail and I'm being thrown from one side of the bench seat to the other as we crash deep in to the steep woods on the side of the road.

The woods are thick with brush and overgrown with trees. I may not be able to find my way out, in fact, I'm not sure anyone could find their way out, let alone find me. I begin to walk in the direction where I remember the road, hoping to quickly emerge from the forest, but it just keeps going. I feel like I'm walking in circles!

I started hearing noises hoping there were people close by. I walked towards the noises, but they kept getting further away. I got frustrated and just yell "AHHHH!!!" I decided to walk a little more, when I realized that I was tired. I had a feeling that I was never going to be found, so I decided to lay down next to a tree and take a little rest.

My eyes blink open to blinding beams of light. Flashlights? Could rescue have come so fast? "Hey! Hey, over here!"

"He's over here guys!" The flashlight beams converge on me, slumped against the base of the tree.

"It's so good to see you guys..." I stutter, "I was worried I was gonna be stuck out here all night."

"It's raining in Denmark."

It's... what? My thoughts of rescue are now twisting in my stomach. "That's-that's nice. Um, do y'all have a car or something. I live just in the next town-"

"It's raining in Denmark."

I can't tell if the confusion or the flood of light in my eyes is giving me this splitting headache. "Uh... do you need an umbrella?"

Two figures emerge as shadows from the light. The voice that's been speaking to me, whispers something behind him that I barely hear. "He's been compromised. We're bringing him in right now." The shadows hoist me from the ground and start to march forward, dragging me behind them.

"Uh guys... guys! Please, I don't understand! What's going on? What does 'compromised' mean? Where are we going?"

There wasn't an answer. Nothing but a bag over my head and a sharp punch to the jaw.

The two men continue to drag me through the woods. It seemed like forever before we finally stopped. The men were silent as they lifted me up into what felt like the seat of a car. One of the men removed my hood and I saw that they had brought me back to my wrecked truck. I realized now what they had meant when they said I was compromised. They were planning to kill me and make it look like the crash had killed me. I had to do something. I had to get away. But how?

I started to think to myself what I could do to escape.  I had to find a way to take out both men at the same time.  I then realized that I wasn't tied up and at the same time they turned their backs to me. So I jumped out of the truck and started running as fast I as I could. I could hear the two men right behind me. As I began to tire, I came to a river. So I jumped in as did the men. After some time had passed the water started to move faster as I realized I was heading for waterfall.

In the midst of the sounds of the waterfall, I can hear the two men screaming loudly in Spanish. Thank goodness I took Spanish in high school. I could decipher what they were saying. They said there's a huge waterfall, and that it reminded them of The Emperors New Groove. I then remembered how Kuzco was riding on a log down the river. To my advantage, there was a giant willow tree to my right that had vines hanging down into the river before the drop off. I realized this was my best bet at survival and escape. I began drifting faster and faster...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The current was strong enough that I felt the waterfall must be very near, but nothing came. The current’s strength rose dramatically, telling me that it wasn’t just a waterfall at the end of this river. I was starting to lose feeling in my legs and arms from the cold, and it was a struggle just to hold onto the branches of the willow tree.

Beams. In a river? It looked they were under the-

I began to go under. It sucked me down with the force of 500 men pulling down. I sputtered and managed one last breath before I went under. So this was it. The current tugged and pulled me every direction as I continued towards the strange underwater beams. Almost there. But my vision was darkening. Just a few more seconds and I would reach the lights. My lungs were burning, my head swimming (literally). I could barely see out of my almost black vision.

The lights, moved?! There was a sudden wave of the underwater current sweeping towards it. The bottom of the river had just OPENED! I was swept into the underwater hole, and then, I blacked out.

Responding to Chandler

In the midst of the sounds of the waterfall, I can hear the two men screaming loudly in Spanish. Thank goodness I took Spanish in high school. I could decipher what they were saying. They said there's a huge waterfall, and that it reminded them of The Emperors New Groove. I then remembered how Kuzco was riding on a log down the river. To my advantage, there was a giant willow tree to my right that had vines hanging down into the river before the drop off. I realized this was my best bet at survival and escape. I began drifting faster and faster...

Respondng to Mitchell

I started to think to myself what I could do to escape.  I had to find away to take out both men at the same time.  I then realized that I wasn't tied up and at the same time they turned there backs to me. so I jumped out of the truck and started running as fast I as I could. I could here the two men right behind me. As I began to tire I came to a river so I jumped in as did the men. After some time had past the water started to move faster as I realized I was heading for waterfall.

Responding to Macy

The two men continue to drag me through the woods. It seemed like forever before we finally stopped. The men were silent as they lifted me up into what felt like the seat of a car. One of the men removed my hood and I saw that they had brought me back to my wrecked truck. I realized now what they had meant when they said I was compromised. They were planning to kill me and make it look like the crash had killed me. I had to do something. I had to get away. But how?

Responding to Jordan

My eyes blink open to blinding beams of light. Flashlights? Could rescue have come so fast? "Hey! Hey, over here!"

"He's over here guys!" The flashlight beams converge on me, slumped against the base of the tree.

"It's so good to see you guys..." I stutter, "I was worried I was gonna be stuck out here all night."

"It's raining in Denmark."

It's... what? My thoughts of rescue are now twisting in my stomach. "That's-that's nice. Um, do y'all have a car or something. I live just in the next town-"

"It's raining in Denmark."

I can't tell if the confusion or the flood of light in my eyes is giving me this splitting headache. "Uh... do you need an umbrella?"

Two figures emerge as shadows from the light. The voice that's been speaking to me, whispers something behind him that I barely hear. "He's been compromised. We're bringing him in right now." The shadows hoist me from the ground and start to march forward, dragging me behind them.

"Uh guys... guys! Please, I don't understand! What's going on? What does 'compromised' mean? Where are we going?"

There wasn't an answer. Nothing but a bag over my head and a sharp punch to the jaw.

Responding to Nathan

I started hearing nosies hoping their were people close by. I walked towards the noises, but they kept getting further away. I got frustrated and just yell "AHHHH!!!" I decided to walk a little more, when I realized that I was tired. I had a feeling that I was never going to be found, so I decided to lay down next to a tree and take a little rest.

The Forest

Responding to Mrs. Carnes

The woods are thick with brush and overgrown with trees. I may not be able to find my way out, in fact, I'm not sure anyone could find their way out, let alone find me. I begin to walk in the direction where I remember the road, hoping to quickly emerge from the forest, but it just keeps going. I feel like I'm walking in circles!

Keep It Going

For today's posts, we will be writing a chain story. I will start us off with the prompt below. The next person to post will pick up writing where I left off and will stop without finishing the story so the next person can pick it up. At the top of your story paragraph, please write "responding to [name]" so we will know to whom you are responding. If students respond to the same person's paragraph, we'll just see this as a "choose your own adventure" situation, and the next student may respond to either post. 

Please write at least one paragraph and make it easy for the next student to follow you. In other words, don't start writing in Klingon or about the intricacies of particle physics or the like. In the same way, accept what the previous writer has established: if the main character is an elderly woman in the previous paragraph, don't switch her to a world-famous member of a boy band in yours.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My heart is pounding and my hands are slippery with sweat. I can barely hold on to the unfamiliar steering wheel as I careen down the darkened roadway. Headlights in my rear view mirror are getting closer, and I take my eyes off the road for a moment to gauge the distance. No, no, no . . . I feel the back end of the truck start to fishtail and I'm being thrown from one side of the bench seat to the other as we crash deep in to the steep woods on the side of the road.

The Mortality of Love

I believe that this poem emphasizes the mortality of love by the narration of the immortal Time. The promise of the lover seems reminiscent of all the literary promises of love, as I believe the author intended it to sound. It adds a sense of the repetition of life to the poem, as if Time has heard thousands of lovers say this, and each has been wrong. It is the concurring trope of mankind to forget the unrelenting march of time in the face of love, yet this poem patiently reminds us, again and again, of the pattern of the past and the promise of the future: That all love has come to an end, and all love will come to an end.

You know you love me... XOXO

As confused I was at reading the poem, I actually got a lot out of the last few stanzas. In our society, we view "love" as something very tangible. Really artsy dates. Kissing in public. Expensive gifts. Being attached to your partner at the hip. Almost like in the poem. The man sees people holding hands and yearning for love. But really, love isn't that. (PS yes I hold my boyfriend's hand in public and we go on dates so i'm not saying these things are bad things!) Love is usually the things that people don't see. Love is forgiving. Love is communication. Love is putting up with one another quirks. Love is going out of your way for another person. Love is being there for someone when the pressures of the world may be falling all around them. Love isn't something to hold, but to be felt. Love isn't lust, but deep passion. Love doesn't lie or cheat.
"You shall love your crooked neighbor With all your crooked heart."
We are all imperfect human beings. Finding someone to care for and love is somewhat a difficult process to go through. It's all worth it in the end. To love someone through all adversity and imperfections is an admirable goal/achievement.

You shall you your crooked neighbour with your crooked heart...

'O stand, stand at the window 
As the tears scald and start; 
You shall love your crooked neighbour 
With your crooked heart.' 

This is my favorite stanza of the poem. Rather than viewing the last two lines of the stanza as a commandment, I first thought of it as a promise. That your crooked heart can love. That there is still love for the imperfect, and those who have fallen away can still come back to it. Love is one of those things that time doesn't destroy, it just changes. Love adapts to circumstances but doesn't ever lose it's grip. 

Love is eternal

Johnny's daddy was taking him fishin'
When he was eight years old

Little girl came through the front gate
Holdin' a fishin' pole
His dad looked down and smiled
He said, "We can't leave her behind"
"Son, I know you don't want her to go
But someday you'll change your mind"
And Johnny said
"Take Jimmy Johnson
Take Tommy Thompson
Take my best friend, Bo
Take anybody that you want as
Long as she don't go
Take any boy in the world
Daddy please, don't take the girl"

Same old boy, same sweet girl
Ten years down the road
He held her tight and kissed her lips in
Front of the picture show
Stranger came and pulled a gun
Grabbed her by the arm said
"If you do what I tell you to
There won't be any harm"
And Johnny said "Take my money
Take my wallet
Take my credit cards
Here's the watch that my Grandpa gave me
Here's the key to my car
Mister give it a whirl
But please don't take the girl"

Same old boy
Same sweet girl
Five years down the road
There's gonna be a little one and she
Says it's time to go
Doctor says the baby's fine
But you'll have to leave
'Cause his momma's fading fast and
Johnny hit his knees and there he prayed
"Take the very breath you gave me
Take the heart from my chest
I'll gladly take her place if you'll let me
Make this my last request
Take me out of this world
God, please don't take the girl"

Johnny's daddy
Was taking him fishin'
When he was eight years old

This poem gives a vivid example of how your perception of love can change. From only loving fishing to giving it all for a woman. All men need someone to love. Love evolves and surpasses all other wants and needs Although as a child the character did not know, he would one day crave the love of the women. Your life is built around it. 

Love is weird

I can relate very well to this poem. We see this man walking among all of these people who are telling their special someone how much they love each other and how they will never stop loving each other and the man that is walking is jealous. This man craves to have what these people have and I'll be the first to admit I do too. Even if you don't realize it, everyone craves to have a person like this in their life. When you love someone everything in your life is enhanced in some way or another even if you don't realize. The poem also talks about how little time we have which is ironic considering how it has examples of these people saying that they will love each other to the end of time. Time really is the only problem with love, because once your time is up you don't get a second chance. Unless of course if you know you're going to heaven where you'll still get to see that person you love but regardless, time makes love hard. And it's not just the fact that one day we will all die, There's also how busy people get through out their lives and allow that time to slip away and they miss out on precious moments that they could've had with a loved one. That is why love is weird, because you can say that you love someone yet we are so easily distracted by everything else in life from that person we claim to love. With that in mind, maybe the saying "Time is of the essence" now means a bit than it did before.

Don't ever stop loving!

I love those two stanzas that Mrs. Carnes pointed out.
.
.
.
"O look, look in the mirror? 
O look in your distress: 
Life remains a blessing 
Although you cannot bless. 

"O stand, stand at the window 
As the tears scald and start; 
You shall love your crooked neighbour 
With your crooked heart."
.
.
.
We are broken people with "crooked hearts," but we are made for love. The innermost parts of our beings long to love and to be loved. It's how we were so lovingly created. We enjoy being around people who love us, and we strive to love more and love better. But sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in the idea of love, that we forget what it means to love. We become so frustrated when love doesn't work out. When the sweetness of love fades. When those we love lose that charm that drew us in in the first place. When we don't want to love anymore because suddenly it's hard. But, as we were made to truly love, we learn in the brokenness that love is not perfection, or charm, or anything like that. Love is taking each other in. Love is accepting ourselves as broken people, accepting everyone else as broken people, and loving them for the blessings that they are. Love can be hard, but I think the value of love is in the hardships as well as in the joys. This applies to all kinds of love... Family. Spouse. Friendships. Etc.

 Love is many things, but love is definitely worth it. Love and don't ever stop!

What's Love Got to Do with It?

Well, love is kinda interesting. It takes so many forms. Each one is distinct from the rest, and yet they are each love. I know that's super weird but think about it like this. I love my parents. A deep, grateful, can never be repaid love. I love some of my friends. It's a joyful love. And then the kicker, romantic love for that special someone. Each of these is a different feeling, and yet all are love. Overall, love can't be defined by one specific feeling. It seems to encompass all of our possible emotions. Well, this was a super deep, probably not so insightful rant about the innerworkings of love and all that.

I will say that love, as difficult as it is to define, is easy to see. The effects love have on humans is quite interesting. People do some crazy things for love, but perhaps that's because love is a crazy thing itself.

Some hints of existentialism maybe??

This poem started out very happy and sweet. It made me feel all warm inside when it was talking about love and how it would last all of time. When people are in love it is like they are in their own little bubble where everything is happy and amazing and its like a fairy tale. They think their love will last for all of time. Then in the poem this happy moment comes to a screeching halt when the author is like never mind, you thought! The poem took a very different twist. Something about this poem kept reminding me of a conversation I had with my atheist friend, Jonathon. He believes that there is no purpose to life unless you make purpose out of it by finding joy in things that you love. He lives in a constant state of fear of death and purposelessness. The poem reminded me of this when it said "life remains a blessing although you cannot bless" In Jonathons case life is a blessing because he believes there is nothing after this. But he cannot bless because he has no hope to give anyone else. He once told me that is biggest fear was losing time or wasting time because the time we have here is limited and if there is no point to life then why not live every moment making the most of it and having fun. Time is in control and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Just like in this poem. Jonathon said that people are surprised that he is an atheist because of how nice he is. When you believe what he believes there is no reason to have morals. I would be the worst person ever if I was an Atheist. I would party all the time and do/say what ever I wanted and everyone would hate me. But he sees it more as an opportunity to be good and make others feel good because they are stuck here with no purpose as well. The poem says "You shall love your crooked neighbor with all your crooked heart". From a Christian perspective I read that line and think something very different. Often times Christians are considered judgmental and I see this as a reminder that we are called to love everyone no matter what they have done but be careful not to be judgmental because you are a sinner just as much as they are.

That Poem

This poem seems dark, especially considering the theme is love. However I did like it much more than  most poetry. I liked the last two stanzas because they have provide an interesting take on loving your neighbor even the one that are not favorable. These stanzas remind us that not everyone one is favorable to everyone, but that everyone is favorable to God and that we need to try every day to show kindness and love to everyone. I especially am bad at that, because even though I am almost never mean to people's face, I tend to think bad things about them. This poem actually had an effect on me unlike most poetry, it was alright.

what it means to me i think

I took from this poem that life is short and your time with the person you love on this earth is running short.  I feel that if you love someone so much that you need to have a blast with them before time runs out. unfortunately, time in our lives are ticking away and soon your gonna be regretting all the things you didn't accomplish with your loved one. While you have time you need to have fun and get the most out of it with your loved one.

What I took away from This...

Lets see  I could re-state what the poem said, and say a bunch of stuff that doesn't mean anything to me or to you. But, this is what I took away from the poem. Life is too short  to be with the people we love truly. You can say that I will love you to the moon and back again and again and then say that nothing will take you away from me. I wish that was the case but sadly its not, because when the time keeper show up and tells you that your time is up, not even love can prevent that. Even though your time will come and which it will come life will carry on as though nothing had happen, only if you leaving something that will carry on your legacy.

I get the feels when I read this poem..

Usually, love isn't what it's cracked up to be, and this is very accurately portrayed in this poem. Love can be forever, or just a short moment, however it always feels heartwarming and familiar. This poem shows the lengths of which love will travel to connect people together, with no regards to appearance or past mistakes when Auden says, 'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you/Till China and Africa meet". The Bible has an entire book within it about love and the addition of the Bible verse "You shall love your crooked neighbor/With your crooked heart." shows how prominent God's love is within every person's life. I also feel as if the poem is trying to instill the idea of "cherish the moment" inside the reader's heart, which is a very touching and true sentiment. What this poem communicated to me was how God is love, and he works in mysterious ways, so therefore love may be a little strange sometimes. Nonetheless, love is all around us, and love is a beautiful happening which is unparalleled by any other feeling.

don't worry about tomorrow

"As I Walked Out One Evening" is a poem about the fate of love. Although love is said to never die, we see how time takes all living things eventually. Auden's subtly tells of human mortality when he describes "The crowds upon the pavements/were fields of harvest wheat". Reaped wheat requires a reaper, something that can be compared to Death. The poem contains three speakers: the narrator, the lover, and Time. The lover brings some happiness to the poem by his words to his love "Love has no ending." We hope this, but we later see in the poem that Time is always watching us and breathing down our necks. The lines "O let not Time deceive you, You cannot conquer Time" and "Time watches from the shadow And coughs when you would kiss" show the ever presence of Time. The poem becomes darker and tells how life aging is inevitable and horrid: "In headaches and in worry/Vaguely life leaks away,/And Time will have his fancy/ Tomorrow or today." The tone takes another turn, one less threatening. Auden reminds the reader that life and death are beyond our control, and life itself is a blessing we should cherish. Our lives our broken because we are imperfect and have "crooked hearts". But we should still love each other, despite our crooked hearts, because God can fix us if we trust Him. Time is only in His control, and we should not worry about the future, but be concerned with what today holds.

Importance of Time...

I feel like the poem was talking about how a couple is married and someone had just died. At the beginning of the poem it is talking about how much they loved each other. The song starting in stanza two through five made me think of marriage vows. The lover could be saying their vows again to remind themselves of how much they loved each other. Stanza seven and eight made me think of death waiting to take your life and it could either be today or tomorrow, you never know when your last day is going to be. The two stanzas before the last one makes me think of how lucky someone is to be alive rather then dead. The lover has to look at the blessings in their life. They have to try and move on by loving other people.

woah

This poem is kind of sad to me. After I read it, I had to sit there and take in the overall feeling it gave me. I felt sad. I felt lonely. This poem is talking about how he's listening to people in love, and I feel like it's in a sort of jealous way. He wants that and as he's walking through the busy streets hearing that. He's craving it, wanting a little portion of the joy that the other's have. It just made me think about how we are all craving something. We hear people talking about it with joy, and we just WANT it. We feel we need it, and we're upset when we constantly remember that we don't have it.

yay poetry

What I get out of this poem is that this couple is madly in love and that no matter what they will stay together till the ends of earth.  But that the one walking down the street feels that nothing can out last time and even those that are in love will slow fall to time.


 

Posthumous Coping

The poem is about losing someone you care about deeply, and going out into the world after they're gone. Going out in the world and seeing the beauty is a good way to cope with loss, as stated in the poem. Be careful to not go too deep; the world isn't that great.

Enjoy time while you have it

What I liked about this poem was the imagery. In the beginning the crowds of people were described as “fields of golden wheat”, which really gives you a sense of a city street tightly packed with people. The part with the lover’s speech brought to mind feelings of deep love, and the descriptions of time were really good at conveying a feeling of inevitably and dreadful regret. While I don’t have nearly as depressing views toward time as this poem has, it defiantly gives you something to think about.

W.H. Auden is one of my very favorite poets.  His poem, "As I Walked Out One Evening," is a meditation on the limits and transience of romantic love, written in the form of a ballad. It's a clever irony because ballads, of course, are love songs. But the part I love most in the poem is the two stanzas before the final one.

As I Walked Out One Evening

As I walked out one evening,
Walking down Bristol Street,
The crowds upon the pavement
Were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river
I heard a lover sing
Under an arch of the railway:
'Love has no ending.

'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,

'I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky.

'The years shall run like rabbits,
For in my arms I hold
The Flower of the Ages,
And the first love of the world.'

But all the clocks in the city
Began to whirr and chime:
'O let not Time deceive you,
You cannot conquer Time.

'In the burrows of the Nightmare
Where Justice naked is,
Time watches from the shadow
And coughs when you would kiss.

'In headaches and in worry
Vaguely life leaks away,
And Time will have his fancy
To-morrow or to-day.

'Into many a green valley
Drifts the appalling snow;
Time breaks the threaded dances
And the diver's brilliant bow.

'O plunge your hands in water,
Plunge them in up to the wrist;
Stare, stare in the basin
And wonder what you've missed.

'The glacier knocks in the cupboard,
The desert sighs in the bed,
And the crack in the tea-cup opens
A lane to the land of the dead.

'Where the beggars raffle the banknotes
And the Giant is enchanting to Jack,
And the Lily-white Boy is a Roarer,
And Jill goes down on her back.

'O look, look in the mirror?
O look in your distress:
Life remains a blessing
Although you cannot bless.

'O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.'

It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.

 ******************************

"Life remains a blessing/Although you cannot bless." Read those two stanzas again. I think Auden is giving us a way to cope with despair, ennui, disappointment, loneliness, and grief. Life is a gift: at its essence, it's a blessing, even when we don't have the ability to give thanks or see beyond our own sadness.

The next stanza contains a restatement of Jesus' second commandment: "You shall love your crooked neighbour/With your crooked heart." We are all broken and imperfect people, but God intends for us to live in community with other broken and imperfect people. That's the kind of love that won't fade because someone's beauty fades or hair starts to gray. 

For your post, you can respond to the poem overall, my interpretation of the ending, the personification of Time, the cliches of romantic love, the imagery, or your interpretation of any aspect of the poem. You can also take any of the ideas of the poem as a springboard to talk about despair, love, community, or any other idea the poem provokes.

Oh Joy Words

I have a love hate relationship with words  love them because I like to talk a lot and they allow me to express myself. I hate words because I am a terrible speller plus me not so good with that grammer stuff. Probably my favorite things to read are anything written Dr.Seuss because I love how he uses words both really ad fake to put a smile onto peoples faces.

Me crying okay

I was able to make through without crying or really feeling sad. I'm not that emotionally of a person and the only movie that has ever made me cry was old yeller which I watched when I was eight.  The only to emotions I truly feel a lot are happiness and angry.