response art

refer to the attached document.

(Hayley)”Dangerous Astronomy” by Sherman Alexie (1966)

A selfish father, I wanted to pull apart 

My comfortable wife and son. Forgive me, Rough 

God, because I walked outside and praised the stars, 

And thought I was more important than the stars. 

This poem is by Sherman Alexie. Alexie is considered a literary one-man-band, a novelist, short-story writer, essayist, young adult author, screenwriter, and director. He made his name as a poet and no matter what kind of project he had, the poet spoke through and turned phrases into sharp, unexpectedly resonant ways. 

The language in this poem is simple yet has the rhythm that bounces off the tongue while reading it. He creates a sort of imagery by explaining himself walking outside to praise the stars and also gives us a metaphor at the end for being selfish. 

The meaning/message, in my opinion, is that he feels as though he hasn’t given his family enough time and he feels guilty that he has been selfish. He is asking God for forgiveness which also gives off the feeling of guilt and unworthiness of being a father and husband. 

A word that triggered me in this poem was “forgive”. This word to me in my life means that i want those who have hurt me or vice versa to learn forgiveness and understand that it will all be okay. 

“Determined” by Hayley Russell 

Determined to step foot out in the world

Determined to understand the true meaning of happiness

Determined to not be stuck on my knees begging for a change to come

Understanding that “luck of the draw” is just a phrase

I know one day i will be at my highest peak. 

The poem in part 1 inspired my poem because it is about realizing your strengths and weaknesses and knowing that one day you will be able to turn your life around in a positive way. In my poem i talked about how i am determined to work hard in life to finally be comfortable with what i am doing and who i am surrounding myself with. I am taking a step further in that direction everyday and i hope my poem makes others understand that they can move forward too.