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This is a discussion topic for the November 2023 Book of the Month, Artwords by Beatriz M. Robles.


Which poem did you like the most?

My favorite poem is "Clouds of Comfort." I liked the shape of the calligram because clouds are always fun and relaxing to me. I also felt that it had a deeper meaning, in my interpretation. When it says that the cloud are up high and we are on the ground, it reminds me of being a small part of such a big world. Clouds can remind us of the beauty of life and the comfort of a beautiful sky.

My favorites are some of the calligram poems. I found the depiction of the stelleto quite impressive; however, one of my favorite poems was In Unison. It encourages one to reflect on the birds and to visualize oneself among them, where the former yearning for freedom becomes a reality while, in the same breath, holding on to the most important aspect: unity. To top it all, I would say my ultimate favorite one that I found quite thought-provoking was Passed Over. While the poem itself can make one appreciate the things that we hardly acknowledge, such as a bridge, it also represents an empath who has been ruined and taken for granted several times to the point of mere survival, just to continue to remain there for the much-needed benefit of others, proving the hidden value of the forgotten empath.

Passed over was my favorite poem. It is about relationships. How they can go on wrong ways. How expectations can affect you.
That's what I felt.

The combined picture and poem of Perfect/Pair was my favourite. The picture perfectly compliments the poem.

My favourite poem is pretty tiring, It focuses on how women take so much time to brush their hair to perfection only for it to be blown by the wind and become messy, so they have to carry it around all day and keep combing their hair to neatness

Passed Over" resonated with me as my favorite poem. It delves into the complexities of relationships, exploring how they can take unexpected turns and the impact of unmet expectations. The emotions conveyed in the poem truly captured my feelings about the intricacies of human connections.

Two of my favorite pieces in the book are “Perfect Pair” and “Up and Down.” Neither are erotic in context.

“Perfect Pair” is a lovely poem about ketchup and mustard that is written on a pair of iconic, plastic, red and yellow ketchup and mustard bottles. The kind you see at almost every outdoor picnic where hamburgers and hotdogs are being served. The word “Perfect,” in bold, at the top of the red plastic ketchup bottle, has the first half of the poem written on it, and the word “Pair,” in bold, at the top of the yellow plastic mustard bottle, has the second half of the poem written on it. The first two sentences of the poem are: “A match made in heaven. And frankly, I couldn’t even imagine them without each other.”

“Up and Down” is a hand-drawn image of a girl jumping rope, and the string of the rope is the words of the poem. The poem goes like this: “Jumping up and down, I love to play around; my friends and I would compete, to see who we could beat; we’d then start the count off; the one who could skip the most, got to brag and boast.”

This reminds me of the simpler days of skipping rope in elementary school and reciting the song:
Cinderella dressed in yella,
went upstairs to kiss her fella.
Made a mistake, kissed a snake,
how many doctors did it take?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.
We would see how many times we could jump rope until tripping over the rope and ending the counting. Whoever jumped the rope the most number of times got the bragging rights until the next recess.

I would say my favorite amongst the poems was 'Perfect/Pair". It was colorful and the message was passed across effectively.

The redacted poems were my favorite just based on the creativity and new perspective on published works. But I also loved the teacup calligram.