Two Poems of Mine

I'm taking a creative writing class this semester. Currently, we are covering poetry. I've recently discovered I actually enjoy poetry (some of them). Once, I tried my hand at poetry in high school and decided never again. Yet we keep covering it in all my English classes for some reason. This particular professor gave us some of the reasons why we often do not have a positive experience with poetry and thus avoid the following:

The 7 Deadly Sins of Poetry

1. The Impenetrable Haze Poem - the work as a whole does not suggest a theme that any two people can agree on.
2. Truth-in-a-nutshell - poem tries to define truth, beauty, love or evil in the abstract, it is apt to sound like a little essay in short lines.
3. Oh-Poor-Miserable-Me! - based on unrelenting self pity. Belongs in a psychiatrist's office, not writing class.
4. The Marching Band Poem - heavy-handed rhythms and rhymes drown out subtleties of sophisticated poetry.
5. Hark, The Antique Language! - you are writing for the 21st century.
6. The Wailing-Violin Poem - the reader's emotions are manipulated to evoke tears. The poem is no longer sincere.
7. The Collective-Group Poem - we all resent being included in sweeping generalizations about all women, all men, all students, all Americans, all parents, or all anything.

As an assignment, I was to actually write some poetry. Here are two of my sincere attempts. Ironically, they are both based a little bit on my youngest brother. Tell me what you think!

The Box

It wasn’t found

At Toys R’ Us,

Lined up next to dolls

And trucks.

In truth,

Your

Oh-so-favorite

Always-playing-with

Gift

Wasn’t meant to be it,

For I found it

At the Post Office

For free.

The Ladies’ Man

They all come to chase him;

He doesn’t want to be caught.

But–

He’ll give them refreshment.

He’ll open doors

and say they’re pretty.

Fights happen,

Backstabbing and cruelty.

Friendships breaking.

Then they’ve decided

Not to like him.

While in their secret hearts

They keep him.