Over the Phone, One of Our Hero's Close Personal Homeboys Recounts Life in a College Town. Once again we see the use of the large title that always seems to catch me off-guard. The content of the title, seems flippant, trival. Perhaps this has to do with the language of the title: Homeboys, life in College... How is this important? Read on:

I miss having you around too, dawg.
Listen to my wack-ass routine:
The Great Hand makes a striking motion,
and the day is cracked open,
sliding onto the blazing iron of the world.

I imagine myself as the yellow center:
inconstant, supple and relaxed
until forced to harden against
the whiteness that surrounds me,
the encroaching blank

Within the first two lines of the poem, we see once again the use of the slang language (Is slang the appropriate term? Will leave it there until told to do otherwise) with: dawg, and wack-ass. But then something very strange happens. The poem departs from the colloquialism we first see, and jumps into phrases that seem more adult? worldly? It's as if, within the poem itself we witness this college student grow up and face the "real world," (whatever that means,) however, it implies the struggle that this person, the "Hero," faces. The Great Hand that he mentions with although obvious connotations towards a clock, and the day beginning, says so much more. The way he says the last part of the line, he is using very aggressive, angry language: Stricking, cracked, blazing, saying much more then a simply benign clock telling you the day has begun. Is it the intent of the poet to display the hardship of each day? "Sliding onto the blazing iron of the world," seems to mean so much more. I feel like there is a saying of some sorts, it reminds me of nose to the grindstone for some reason. However blazing iron, there's something about it, especially since it is being referred to as the world's: It feels alone and persecuted.

The second stanza, expounds on this feeling, the images not all too subtle. It speaks of originally being relaxed, supple, and the quickly changing to being hardened. Going back to the title, I can only imagine that it is the realization of what college brings with it. From high school we arrive, most from parents who shelter us, or at least try to keep us safe from any of that "real world," the parts that would harm us. Then we get to college, and our protective shell that we have is totally shed, and we are completely vulnerable. We are vulnerable by our race, sex, age or orientation and there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves BUT to harden, become numb to it and carry on.

And what of the encroaching blank? This blank that imposes itself on you? It, for me speaks of Blank Slates, Blank faces, Poker faces, and hidden emotions. How else can one harden, but to become a blank, and give away nothing.


-Bluey
aka Michaela C Ellis