The Bronze David of Donatello- Randall Jarrell

This poem is descriptive, to say the least. It is written as if the curator of an art museum was providing a personal tour. It is actually a pretty good poem, even though it seems to drag on somewhat painfully slow.
The imagery is definitely there. The imagination and insight are somewhat lacking because it does not really draw as much on the author's concepts as it does the artist's sculpture. That being said, the author did a relatively good job of conveying his points, even if they were somewhat bland. Overall, this piece was somewhat boring, but it seems to have accomplished the goals of the author fairly adequately.

Musee des Beaux Arts- W.H. Auden

I really enjoyed this poem. It had an incredibly and distinctly human quality to it.
It was sort of sad to think about what it meant while I was reading it. It had so much to do with how little anyone really cares about things that happen to others. It really showed how people are really only concerned with their own dealings, and even people who are not very far from them receive no attention at all.

I thought that this poem definitely had imagination, insight, and imagery. It transitioned quite well from the overtly religious themes of the first part to the decidedly human themes of the second.

It was interesting to look at the picture and read the poem side-by-side. As you read the poem, you will begin to look more closely and notice more things about the picture. It was incredible how the author managed to achieve this almost cinematic effect.

The Cuban Doctor- Wallace Stevens

This poem seems strange at first, but when really looking at the picture, it actually makes a lot of sense.
It actually uses some really interesting transitions to show what seems like the author's dream, and he tells a pretty convincing story in only a few lines. Actually, it is one of the more "poetic" poems out of all the readings.
The insight that Stevens uses is interesting because he ties multiple unrelated events together just as a dream really would. It is pretty cool to read because it really shows us how stupid dreams sound when we try to explain them to other people.
His imagery is vague, and that's what makes it superior. We have no clue what he is talking about, and that is the essence of a dream. Finally, his imagination is incredible because he had to think of a dream to write down. This was interesting because, whether it was a real dream or a though-up one, he still had to put it to paper.

Jungle- Robert Kelly

This poem describes things in a sort of dire and fatal tone. It's almost depressing in the way that it describes the jungle leading to its own death demise.

It sometimes leaves the reader wondering what is happening. However, it actually ends in a triumphant way. It declares that the jungle seems to have great potential.

This poem ultimately does contain insight, imagery, and imagination. Though at times it seems unstructured and rambling, it frankly does a pretty good job of tying all the concepts in the poem together.

It does a compelling job of making the jungle seem relatively conscious while allowing the reader to take in the various physical aspects of what they would be viewing if they were there. The images are described so vividly, which helps the reader to feel like they are simultaneously immersed and on the outside of the setting. Also, it's written in a way that seems almost conversational--like the forest is speaking directly at you. Overall an interesting, yet depressing poem that makes you think about the viewpoint of the tree.

Disillusionment of Ten o' Clock- Wallace Stevens

This poem makes virtually no sense. It starts off very interesting and compelling- making complete sense. Then, it starts talking about a sailor and completely loses me. I was really enjoying the poem up until it began describing the sailor.
I loved the imagery of the little, white, boring, and completely normal night gowns, galavanting through this haunted town. Each gown with it's own little gown family, occupying their own haunted house, going about their merry lives as any normal human family would. I really loved how imaginative the idea of the gowns having personalities, and I loved the fact that the poem went on to say everything that the gowns were not- implying all of the more exciting colors and patterns the gowns could have been.
I am very disappointed with the end of the poem. I don't like the fact that the entire scenario was seemingly just a dream of a sailor.

Archaic Torso of Apollo- Rainer Maria Rilke

 This poem provides a wonderful description of a statue; however, it does not provide much else. There are many adjectives used, but I didn't feel particularly connected with the piece.
 It's interesting to note that it's written in a way that makes you feel like you are checking out the subject. Its lines flow from the top to bottom and then back up again, but then it left my with an ambiguous challenge at the end of the poem.
Honestly, this poem kind of lacked both insight and imagination. It didn't seem much deeper than the stone it was written about, and the author did not add much that the viewer of the image couldn't pick up themselves. Basically, this was not much of what I would call a poem. It was more of a colorful description of a carved rock that was missing a bunch of pieces.

Nude Descending Staircase- X.J. Kennedy

I love this poem and everything about it. The flow of lines and words is flawless, the wording is lovely, and the overall mood of the poem is wonderful. The way that the poet describes the woman is almost magical, as if I could picture her with a foggy cloud of glitter dust following her down the staircase.
The first verse is the most romantic to me. I love the way it sets the stage for the poem "toe upon toe, a snowing flesh." Such a beautiful line. I found myself imagining the woman walking down the stairs with such grace. I imagine her as SO perfect that her facial features are blurred by a bright ray of soft sunlight, creeping through fogged glass windows- as if concealing her perfect face from my imperfect eyes (like a goddess of sorts).
The length of this poem was just right. and more or any less would have given the poem a totally different feel. With this length, I felt as it had only occurred in a moment, but that single moment seemed to be in slow motion- lasting for what seamed like forever.
There is definitely imagination, imagery, and insight in this poem. There is just so much right about this poem. One of my favorites.

As a side note, what I find funny is that walking down a staircase in the nude doesn't sound at all attractive- to say the least.

House By The Railroad- Edward Hirsch

I found this poem to be elegant in its simplicity. Hirsch uses a distinct clarity and forwardness that allows the reader to imagine the scenario with a vivid understanding. However, this poem also seems to lack direction. It tells less of a story and more of a setting. There is no real climax or definitive ending of a narrative. It seems to take a small piece out of a seemingly endless story. Perhaps this was the intention. It is interesting because it is written as if it was what we could pick up if we were walking by the scene. Rather than understanding everything about what might have happened in this environment, we were supposed to focus on the unknowable series of events that had happened up until our part in the story. This poem, in some ways, lacks insight. However, I believe that is its purpose. It uses a great deal of detailed imagery to paint a word picture that that we are supposed to find our own value for. Ultimately, we are supposed to gather insight the same way we gather it during any given moment in our lives: without a storyline or narrator.

The Red Studio- W.D. Snodgrass

This poem is really confusing. I had to read it a few times to try to find connections between lines and verses, but despite that, there is something about it that I really like. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I find it very enticing.

I had a hard time really pin pointing who "he" is in the poem. It mentions metaphors for him and his actions, but it never clarifies who the person is, which leads me to wonder if it really matters who he is. I assume that it's irrelevant to the poem, but I got lost in thinking about the lack of an actual being with an actual form and an actual description. And how does an imaginary being give birth to children? especially if the being has been classified as male? Perhaps I am thinking to literally about it. Like I said, I had to read it a few times in order to fully appreciate it.

I don't normally like hypothetical questions in poetry, but the questions in this poem didn't bother me so much. 

Other than that, I found many of the lines to be beautiful in nature and quality.

For instance "within the belly of these walls that burn" is a beautiful line with endless meaning. This line could even stand on it's own. Once I got past my urge to ask too many questions, I really came to appreciate the creativity, uniqueness, and beauty in each and every line. A fascinating piece, to say the least.