The Student Room Group

M03 English poem...does any one get it?

Hi :smile:
Can some one help me with this poem? The only thing I understand is that theres this lady who is having a long-distance relationship with some one. She starts by stating the difference of their environment, and how she is more one-on-one with nature. And then she fantisizes how it would be if he comes over and they walk along the beach there. Am I even close? Can any one please help me asap? btw, this is S. May 2003, and the poet is Cilla McQueen....and the poem:

Otherwise

I come
from an opposite country
to yours, where water spirals
and the moon waxes
otherwise.
my stars assemble in unfamiliar patterns
and I watch often not traffic or television
but hour by hour the huge tide
absently fingering rocks and small shells
and the wet brown kelp
where fish go sliding through.

if you were with me now
on my favourite beach
we'd watch the distant seismograph
of silver peaks darkening to indigo
and walk on the breakwater
towards the harbour mouth,
disturbing the flocks of terns
that wheel up shrieking in slim wild voices
to land again behind us
renwing their conference. I would slip
my cold hand in your pocket,
you'd look at me and grin
and we would walk together quietly
right to the very end,
where big chained rocks hold back
the same Pacific ocean, lumbering in.


Thanks alot! :biggrin:
Keto
Hi :smile:
Can some one help me with this poem? The only thing I understand is that theres this lady who is having a long-distance relationship with some one. She starts by stating the difference of their environment, and how she is more one-on-one with nature. And then she fantisizes how it would be if he comes over and they walk along the beach there. Am I even close? Can any one please help me asap? btw, this is S. May 2003, and the poet is Cilla McQueen....and the poem:

Otherwise

I come
from an opposite country
to yours, where water spirals
and the moon waxes
otherwise.
my stars assemble in unfamiliar patterns
and I watch often not traffic or television
but hour by hour the huge tide
absently fingering rocks and small shells
and the wet brown kelp
where fish go sliding through.

if you were with me now
on my favourite beach
we'd watch the distant seismograph
of silver peaks darkening to indigo
and walk on the breakwater
towards the harbour mouth,
disturbing the flocks of terns
that wheel up shrieking in slim wild voices
to land again behind us
renwing their conference. I would slip
my cold hand in your pocket,
you'd look at me and grin
and we would walk together quietly
right to the very end,
where big chained rocks hold back
the same Pacific ocean, lumbering in.


Thanks alot! :biggrin:


My golden rule for English A1: NEVER attempt the commentary on the poem...
I am sorry, that is not helpful at all but I always believe prose lends itself more to being commented upon...that is entirely my opinion though!
Reply 2
sarahwhatevver
My golden rule for English A1: NEVER attempt the commentary on the poem...
I am sorry, that is not helpful at all but I always believe prose lends itself more to being commented upon...that is entirely my opinion though!


Haha, Sarah I totally disagree!! :tongue:! I say choose the poem if you understand what it's about as you can flourish your essay with literary terms, and a lot of times if you do the prose you run out of time, whilst if you do the poem I find the time is just right. This year (i'm in HL) I did the prose though, because there was nothing to say about the poem. But on the mock I did the poem, coz there was loads to say.

Our class always attempted the poem first coz we got LOADS of practice on poem commentaries, and if we didn't understand it, we went straight to prose.

I guess in the end it comes down on your strengths really.
Reply 3
Keto

Otherwise


I come

from an opposite country

to yours, where water spirals

and the moon waxes

otherwise.

my stars assemble in unfamiliar patterns

and I watch often not traffic or television

but hour by hour the huge tide

absently fingering rocks and small shells

and the wet brown kelp

where fish go sliding through.


if you were with me now

on my favourite beach

we'd watch the distant seismograph

of silver peaks darkening to indigo

and walk on the breakwater

towards the harbour mouth,

disturbing the flocks of terns

that wheel up shrieking in slim wild voices

to land again behind us

renwing their conference. I would slip

my cold hand in your pocket,

you'd look at me and grin

and we would walk together quietly

right to the very end,

where big chained rocks hold back

the same Pacific ocean, lumbering in.


Thanks alot! :biggrin:

The poem seems deeply personal to me, based on the emphasis on "you" and "me", "I" and "your" etc. It is written from life based on personal experience in my opinion and is written for the recipient, rather that about them.