Reading the book “Blood Dazzler” by Patricia Smith was very emotional. I know no one from New Orleans nor have I a connection to the city in any way, but by reading these poems I felt like I was there, like I had lost some one, my home, my everything. Up until now, the book that made me feel the most like I was some place and made me feel what the character were going through was “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. I think “Blood Dazzler” surpassed it ten fold. I'd be willing to say it is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. I think that the fact that it used poetry made it convey the emotion and feeling more then prose ever could.
The poem “34” was one that I felt particularly touching. It starts out like a news report, reporting that 34 people had died, with no emotion, much how I felt about Hurricane Katrina before I read this book. It then goes and gives each of the dead a voice, about what they were thinking just before they died. The third one, where it says “Before the rain stung me like silver, I had forgotten me,” really felt almost like me, and kind of scared me. Twenty-Four was almost humorous “God, we just need your glitter, you know those miracles you do for no reason at all.” And then 34 “The under Earth turns its face to us. Leave them.” It leaves a haunting image in your head.
I thought the poem “George” was very funny. It was totally about George W. Bush. I always love when people and shows make fun of him, and make him act so stupid. I mean the man can't be that dumb if he was elected president,right? It was like he was in Air Force One looking down at the aftermath and thinking it wasn't that bad, and him be very narcissistic. But my favorite line is the last one where he says “I understand that somewhere, it has rained?”
And I know we read it in class, but the Tanka made me tear up when I read it at first. The part about only having two arms, but three children just made me think of Sophie's Choice and how utterly devastating that whole movie was. Her, I'm tearing up just thinking about this poem.
They should really put poems with news reports to show people the gravity of the situations. They should also do more poetry like this in grade school to make people not loath it. So, to sum up, it was the most emotional book I've ever read
Bisou, ciao, tschüss, じゃあ & TTFN,
~se(an)drew~
great response
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