Wednesday 1 June 2011

“Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?"

Ron Koertge

Give up sitting dutifully at your desk. Leave
your house or apartment. Go out into the world.

It's all right to carry a notebook but a cheap
one is best, with pages the color of weak tea
and on the front a kitten or a space ship.

Avoid any enclosed space where more than
three people are wearing turtlenecks. Beware
any snow-covered chalet with deer tracks
across the muffled tennis courts.

Not surprisingly, libraries are a good place to write.
And the perfect place in a library is near an aisle
where a child a year or two old is playing as his
mother browses the ranks of the dead.

Often he will pull books from the bottom shelf.
The title, the author's name, the brooding photo
on the flap mean nothing. Red book on black, gray
book on brown, he builds a tower. And the higher
it gets, the wider he grins.

You who asked for advice, listen: When the tower
falls, be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody
in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh."

Then start again.

What is your opinion of the messages in this poem?

12 comments:

  1. My overall oppinion from the poem is that it is saying be quite, and relax, be around things that calm you down and relax you. For example a notebook with a kitten on the cover would relax you because it is a sweet picture that shows all the love that can happen in the world. Be happy act like a child, goof off and laugh when no one else thinks it is funny. When the poem says that the best place in the library is an alley where a two year old is playing, where there are sweet things full of love and cuteness. You should smile when you are sad and laugh when you are mad. Act like a child and smile everyday, with happiness, and real love. I think this message is good, because everyone needs to smile once and awhile. -J.S.

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  2. I think that this poem means that you shouldn't just sit there. Go out and have fun. "It's all right to carry a notebook but a cheap
    one is best, with pages the color of weak tea
    and on the front a kitten or a space ship." This means, you don't need big fancy things to make you happy, simplicity is best, so make the best of it. You can get a cheap "Notebook" and then decorsting it with even cheaper materials. "Red book on black, gray
    book on brown, he builds a tower. And the higher
    it gets, the wider he grins.
    You who asked for advice, listen: When the tower
    falls, be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody
    in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh."
    Then start again." This means have a sense of humor, and when you like something you should do it again, no matter what anybody else thinks of it.
    -Angela

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  3. What this poem means is that you can live like a kid sometimes. You dom't have to always be serious and uptight, or you will never be happy. Sometimes, you just need to goof off and have some fun.

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  4. In this poem it is telling you that it is okay to be different and to laugh out loud sometimes! ;)

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  5. i think that the pome is telling you not to be too uptite about poetry and to write pomes about things that not everyone else has alredy written about.

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  6. I think that the poem tells you not to do something just because everyone else is doing it. When it says a cheap notebook is okay it means that simple can be good and all the expensive stuff in the world will not make you happy. When it says not to be in an enclosed area with more than 3 people wearing turtle necks. This means again not to do something just because everyone else is doing it. When it says to laugh so hard that everyone world will say shhh I think it means that you should follow yourself and do what ever you want to do.

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  7. I think the poem is saying, whenever things go wrong, try again, when nothing goes right, go left, when you fall, dust yourself off and try again. The poem says, 'When the tower falls be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh." Then start again.' It means, things might not always go your way, but no matter how large the pain is, push forward, unaffected, and let your dreams soar, a second time. When it says, Laugh so loud everybody in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh."'it means, you don't have to follow the crowd, you xan be you, and only care what you think, not others. If others beat you down, say 'Oh' ans walk away. This is a poem telling you, live your life, your way.

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  8. I think that this poem is saying that life doesn't have to be boring! Have fun! The small boy in this poem really shows that: playing in the library like it's a playground! "...where a child a year or two old is playing as his
    mother browses the ranks of the dead.
    Often he will pull books from the bottom shelf.
    The title, the author's name, the brooding photo
    on the flap mean nothing. Red book on black, gray book on brown, he builds a tower. And the higher it gets, the wider he grins."
    It also says to be unique, or plain, or plainly unique! "It's all right to carry a notebook but a cheap one is best, with pages the color of weak tea and on the front a kitten or a space ship." So that way you can just stand out in the oddest places, like the library!
    Amy Osorno =D

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  9. I think what this poem means is to just be happy and enjoy things and that the biggest things or most fancy are never the best but simple things are great. It says:"It's all right to carry a notebook but a cheap
    one is best, with pages the color of weak tea
    and on the front a kitten or a space ship." a kitten or rocket ship is a kind of happy and sweet thing and it says a cheap notebook is best which means it is simple and not fancy or significant but cheap and yet unique and amazing, the things that could make one happy.

    -Daniel

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  10. I think that this poem is telling me to every once in a while, not always cautious and looking at our surroundings trying to always be safe. I also think that this song is telling us to not care about what others think about what we're doing because if we do then alot of our good oppertunities will be missed. R.N

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  11. I also think it means to be like a kid, no matter your age, at the end it says Luagh Like THat Child So Loud The World Frowns and Says SHHHHHH. Adults, usually wouldn't luagh like a child but sometimes you should...

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  12. I think the meaning of this poem is to enjoy life and be happy with what you have. You dont need the most expensive things to be happy you can have fun with what you have.It's all right to carry a notebook but a cheapone is best, with pages the color of weak tea and on the front a kitten or a space ship. I think what it means by that is who cares if its a superexpensive notebook, or if its fancy or special. If it works thats all that matters.

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