my response to a poem: If I was a Love Poet by Rudy Francisco

http://zarithsofea.blogspot.com/2011/02/if-i-was-love-poet-by-rudy-francisco.html


     I chose this poem because it was one of the poems that got me into poetry. It's very contemporary and informal, which is why I think I like it so much. Rudy Francisco sets up irony by saying that "I’m not really a love poet.", but then goes on to paint some of the most compelling images of how he feels about his girlfriend through the use of his densely-packed metaphors and brightly active imagery.


 "But if I was to wake up tomorrow morning and decide that I really wanted to write about love… I swear that my first poem-
it would be about you.
About how I love you the same way that I learned how to ride a bike:
Scared.
But reckless.
With no training wheels, or elbow pads, so my scars can tell the story of how I fell for you."

     Rudy Francisco, in this selected excerpt, makes the connection between something everyone can relate to to a specific, complex way he feels love. Of course, everyone knows of the trepidation of learning how to bicycle, and the trepidation of loving, but to explain such a abstract concept in such concrete terms is what defines this particular piece as poetry. The imagery of an innocent child learning how to pedal his bike strikes an impressive resemblance to the naivete and optimism most people have when entering or being part of a romantic relationship.

"I want to be your ex-boyfriend’s stuntman.
I want to do everything that he never had the courage to do, like-
trust you."

     Another great example of how Rudy uses a concrete decoy (in this case, being a stuntman) to present an underlying intention. 

     Overall, this poem's heavily active and affectionate, but he humbles it and prevents it from being overbearing or sentimental by making the title, "If I was a Love Poet".