Monday, April 16, 2007

To Be New

If only I could see the world again
Feel the jolt, the first crack of light
To take that first shaky breath
And announce to the world
I’m new here

To feel the first caress of a mother’s hand
A father’s strong yet gentle hold
To see them, alive
Not in memory alone
To grin up at them for the very first time
And break the silence with a laugh
Becoming their world

To discover
My hands at the end of my arms
My toes at the end of my feet
To taste them, my very own limbs
Bending in half
Without snapping in two

To have plump flesh covering my bones
Instead of my skin
Transparent, highways of blue
Veins like rings in a tree
To count, one two buckle my shoe
Three four open the door
To a cold blast of wind carrying with it
A notice of expiration
The train slowing
Coming to a halt
When will it
stop.

You might remember this poem, I had it on my blog awhile ago. However, this was the poem that I workshopped with my creative writing class, and for my end of semester portfolio I had to revise the poem. So this is my revised version. After the workshop of this poem I decided that when I revised the poem I wanted to steer away from a narrative voice and focus more on the images in the poem. Go back and read the original version, in my blog archive, and tell me which one you like better! Thanks!

Maus by Art Spiegelman

When thinking of a Holocaust depiction, comic books may be the furthest thing from our minds. The idea of a comic book about the Holocaust may seem irreverent or abhorrent. However, author Art Spiegelman disregarded stereotypes made about comic books and wrote Maus, a comic book about his father's experiences in the Holocaust. This book is unique to any depiction of the Holocaust that I have ever read, and not just because of the comic book format. Spiegelman draws himself into the book, and a main part of the book is him dealing with his father's history and experiences, and dealing with the relationship he has with his father. This book is the best book I have ever read about the Holocaust. It not only deals with the Holocaust directly, but the longer lasting traumatic effects it had on its victims. Not only that, Spiegelman makes racial stereotypes a main theme of this book, not only between the Nazis and the Jews but other races depicted in the book. It is fabulous, fantastic, and I highly recommend it to anyone. It's two volumes, but a really quick read, and it will make you look at the Holocaust in a different light.