A Marriage RS Thomas We met under a shower of bird-notes. Fifty years passed, love's moment in a world in servitude to time.

She was young; I kissed with my eyes closed and opened them on her wrinkles. `Come,' said death, choosing her as his partner for the last dance, And she, who in life had done everything with a bird's grace, opened her bill now for the shedding of one sigh no heavier than a feather. Questions: 1. Identify the figures of speech in the lines: Come, said death/choosing her as his partner for the last dance. 2. Was the speakers wife happy at the time of her death? How do you know? 3. One of the important themes of the poem is a) money and fame b) time and love b) marriage and divorce 4. Identify the figure of speech in the lines, And she, who in life had done everything with a birds grace, opened her bill now... 5. Comment on significance of the lines, She was young; I kissed with my eyes closed and opened them on her wrinkles.

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. Questions: 1. Who are they in the poem? Why do you think they dont listen to the speaker in the poem? 2. Identify the figure of speech in the lines, drop a mouse in a poem and watch him probe his way out. 3. How do you torture a confession out of a poem? 4. According to the speaker, how important is the real meaning of a poem? 5. What are the speakers suggestions about the ways of dealing with a poem? Do you agree with these suggestions? Why?