Poetry+Analysis+Taylor+Mali

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** Undivided Attention-Taylor Mali **

A grand piano wrapped in quilted pads by movers,

tied up with canvas straps - like classical music's

birthday gift to the insane -

is gently nudged without its legs

out an eighth-floor window on 62nd street. It dangles in April air from the neck of the movers' crane,

Chopin-shiny black lacquer squares

and dirty white crisscross patterns hanging like the second-to-last

note of a concerto played on the edge of the seat,

the edge of tears, the edge of eight stories up going over, and

I'm trying to teach math in the building across the street. Who can teach when there are such lessons to be learned?

All the greatest common factors are delivered by

long-necked cranes and flatbed trucks

or come through everything, even air.

Like snow. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">See, snow falls for the first time every year, and every year

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">my students rush to the window

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">as if snow were more interesting than math,

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">which, of course, it is. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">So please. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">Let me teach like a Steinway,

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">spinning slowly in April air,

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">so almost-falling, so hinderingly

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">dangling from the neck of the movers' crane.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">So on the edge of losing everything. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">Let me teach like the first snow, falling.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Calibri,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">**1. Why I chose this poem** I chose this poem because I get distracted easily by things that are more interesting than what I should be paying attention to. Like this one time last year, that actually happened, except we were in french class (as opposed to math class) and it started snowing. The entire class rushed to the window and looked at the snow for a few seconds. Surprisingly, their wasn't the slightest hint of anger in our teacher's voice when she called us to sit down. Perhaps she understood that snow is more interesting than french. which of course, it is.

I think the theme is about how humans are easily distracted and how hard it is to really get 100%, undivided attention. Because if you think, there is always some sort of small, side thing that you can't help but notice. A bee just flew by, there's a stain on the ceiling, your best friend is doodling on his desk next to you, someone's tapping his pencil, there's a dog jumping around outside, etc. You cannot escape from distractions and ignoring them is very hard, but if you're able to pay adequete attention to the main focus of whatever it is you're doing, you should be pretty well off.
 * 2. Thematic Statement **

**3. Key words & Phrases** //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">**A grand piano** wrapped in quilted pads by movers, // <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">//tied up with canvas straps - like classical music's//

//<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">birthday gift to the insane - // <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"> //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">**is** gently **nudged** without its legs // <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"> //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">**out an eighth-floor window** ////<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"> on 62nd street. // "A grand piano is nudged out an eighth floor window." Now //that// would earn itself undivided attention. Hands down.

//**Who can teach when there are such lessons to be learned?**// This says how it's impossible to teach anything or learn anything when the students and the teachers are distracted by something that demands undivided attention,

//<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">Like snow. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">See, **snow falls for the first time every year**, **and every year** //


 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">my students rush to the window //**


 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">as if snow were more interesting than math, //**


 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">which, of course, it is. //**

This talks about how certain things that come repeatedly are more interesting than a subject that may contain new concepts.


 * 4. Poetic Devices **
 * Simile
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;">**like** ////<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"> classical music's birthday gift to the insane //
 * //Let me teach **like**// //a Steinway//
 * //Let me teach **like**// //the first snow, falling.//
 * //dirty white crisscross patterns hanging **like** the second-to-last note of a concerto played on the edge of the seat//