City Eclogue by Ed Roberson

Personally, I'm not a big poem person. I feel that most of the poems that are meant to be deep and sentimental are just so confusing to me. They don't seem to make sense and talk about the most random things. When writing my poems and sonnets, I wrote them pretty straight forward and I'm pretty sure the reader can tell what they are about. I found myself thinking that they were way too straight forward and trying to think of things to compair my feelings to, to make the poems seem more deep and less straight forward. I'm not exactly sure if this is how it was, not supposed to be, but allowed to be written. Should the comparing to other things come natural or should I really be forced to think about it. I guess poems are just really confusing to me.
In the book 'City Eclogue' by Ed Roberson was a really deep and confusing book for me to read. I did enjoy some parts of it, but most of it I was just so confused and really had no idea what was going on. The very first poem 'stand-in invocation' was when I knew that this book was going to be a difficult read. but after a few more poems and pages in the book, I found myself liking the book so much more. the very first line from 'sit in what city were in' on page 26, was really great to me. It is 'Someone may want to know one day how many steps we took to cross one of our streets', and I feel like it means that it may not seem like whatever they are going through right now may not seem important or worth knowing, but one day someone will want to know what they went through, and what they felt, and this just really said something to me that I really liked.
One poem I did not understand at all was 'sequoia sempervirens' o page 18. Just the whole poem as one was beyond me. I felt odd and not smart when I read it because I just could not figure out what they were talking about. There were other poems in this book that did the same with me; not being able to understand it, but this one was just a general one that I couldnt understand. Just like the poem that spook to me, there were many others that did the same, its just that that one was a major one that I really loved.
I just hope that we can move on from theses poems. I do enjoy them at times, and writing them is pretty fun, but I just would rather understand what Im reading and writing about.

Goldberg

   I really enjoy the way this is writen. I enjoy the personal stroies and touches Goldberg adds into it. It makes me feel more connected to the writer and help be become more involved and focused on the story itself.
   I feel that this reading trys to help people understand that they are not only simply writing a story, but in fact putting part of them on paper. They use stories in their everday life to relate to the types of writing they do, or how they do it. They consider everything in writing something. What state of mind to be in, where to be, what tools you are using, ect. Some of these things I would have never thought of as being so deep into a writing.
   I am personaly not exactly a writer. I have in the past I could say, but I was young and they were odd stories I wrote when I felt bored or had nothing els to do. I can't say that I have ever tried to write a story for people to read and enjoy. This reading made me think about how to prepare or focus on writing. I can't just sit down and begin to write, it doesn't work like that. I have to think for awhile. Let the thoughts come to me first. As I did with the poem's we had to write this week. I could not just sit down and start writing them. I had to think about it for several days. What in my life is causing me pain? How can I express this? What can I say to show this, but not as direct? I found it was so much harder than I thought it was going to be. After days of thinking about it, I had a go at the poems, and I can't say they will ever be published, but I really do enjoy them. I think they cover the topics in a simple way. Not going to lie, I really love my poems, and happy with how they turned out.
   Back to the reading, I feel that it can help writers starting out to become better writers and how to become that better writer.

Introduction: about Kendall.

Hey! I'm Kendall. I am a freshman at EMU and creative writing is one of my 5 classes for my very first semester. I work at McDonald's and Hungry Howies and am a full time student, so I have no more social life. I have one 8, almost 9, year old brother named Preston. His favorite thing about me is that I work at McDonald's and can bring him home chicken nuggets. I also have two loving parents, who I will be living with during my college life, considering its too much money to live on campus, for now. I love reading, but don't do it as much as I would like to. I also love writing, but I honestly can't remember the last time I tried writing anything interesting. Besides this I guess. I am a math major, as of now. I'm considering changing it, but I still have no idea what to. I am taking this class to maybe give me help and a little push to becoming a good writer, if it be papers for school or a story I want to create. On a personal note, I am pretty shy at first,  but I swear once I get to know you I'll be non-stop talking. Anything else I should add? Well, I have two cats, Adolf and Obi, and I can for sure say I am a cat lady. Soon to be crazy cat lady. So, I will be showing up to class covered in cat hair. Ending on a school related note, I am very excited for this class, and what it has to teach me.