Anna Ransom Comments

“My Giant” Response:

I was extremely impressed with the emotion you were able to convey in the reader. A clear example of this can be found in the line “Dad is alone now, divorced and resigned to daily calls from children who have children of their own…” Another line that stood out for me was “My giant of a man – my dad. Longing for one more day with an aged, arthritic dog…” Those lines and several others throughout the poem left me with a deep feeling of sorrow, which from a literary standpoint is probably a good thing. Your descriptions were also amazing. I love how you compare the noise you hear in the restaurant to a symphony and how the words lingered in the room after your dad had spoken. You also did great in describing you’re father’s love for the dog. This was a very well written poem and I don’t think I would change a thing.

“Songs from the South” Response:

This poem has many of the same descriptive qualities as your first one. It makes me think of my own childhood when I used to play in the field behind my house. I can picture everything so clearly, the smell of the honeysuckles, the noise of the ice cubes as they clang inside the cup. My favorite part of the poem is when you describe the butterflies and the bees and how they’re drawn to the nectar on your fingers. I thought it was funny when you referred to them as interlopers, especially after I read the definition: One that interferes with the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons. For some reason the thought of bees and butterflies being described in such human terms comes across as funny. I also noticed the repetition of the word summer which was used in front of several things, “summer bronzed fingers,” “summer tea.” That works well because it lets the readers know you associate those things with summer. Great poem, I wouldn’t change a think in this one either.