A Response to "so much depends"/ "Kitchen Maid with Supper at Emmaus, or The Mulata"/"Introduction to Poetry"/Photographs of the Interiors of Dictators' Houses

These poems were inspiring in that while their topics were varied, they all successfully demonstrated exceptional use of imagery.

The simplicity, yet effectiveness, of "[so much depends]" allowed me to realize that a poem doesn't have to be wordy to evoke imagery. The spaces between the stanzas allowed me to reflect on what I had just read, thus resulting in a picture building in my mind of the red wheel barrow glistening with rain beside the white chickens.

In contrast to "[so much depends]", Albert Goldbarth spared no words in his "Photographs of the Interiors of Dictators' Houses". Even the title is a mouthful. Once again, however, the poem demonstrates imagery that creates a (very detailed) imagine in the reader's mind. However, the abundance of words seems necessary for this poem; in contrast to the simple scene painted in "[so much depends]", "Photographs" provides a snapshot into a very elaborate, gaudy home complete with "gold commodes." This gold monstrosity and the inhabitants that "drunkenly saunter" around the house is excessive in every way imaginable; therefore it is only appropriate that the poem itself in in excess.

"Introduction to Poetry" took me on a journey as I imagined the poem going through each scenario Billy Collins describes. The poem becomes more than a piece of paper with ink; it becomes interactive. I could easily imagine a reader diving into the surface of the poem and "feel the wall for a light switch." The stanza that says, "They begin beating it with a hose, to find out what it really means" stuck out to me the most, however. I find myself a victim of attempting to "make" a poem have a purpose. I feel through imagery Collins is encouraging readers to stop trying so hard and just enjoy the poem for what it is.

Natasha Tretheway uses little words to describe the actual physical appearance of the kitchen maid in "The Kitchen Maid with Supper at Emmaus, or the Mulata", but instead uses the kitchen itself to create the image of the maid. It's strange how unconventional descriptions can result in a better understanding of a person; I could easily see the woman silently tipping the copper pot into empty glasses or moving around the kitchen stacking bowls or brushing her hand against the basket hung on the wall. Tretheway's technique allowed me to simultaneously imagine the kitchen as well as its matriarch.

These four poems approached imagery in four different ways; however, they each accomplished what they set out to do: evoke images in the readers' mind. Sometimes these images helped prove a point, such as in "Introduction to Poetry," while others relished in simplicity "[so much depends]" or excess "Photographs." Meanwhile "The Kitchen Maid.." proved that unconventional ways of describing a person can still produce a powerful image. Before reading these I assumed that all imagery required a lot of words and basic details. However, I now see there are many ways to create imagery, and I hope to use these works as inspiration to add variety to my own poetry.