“So, yeah, they do not just fall from
the sky.
It actually takes a lot of effort to
make one.
Basically, you have to undress
everything first
And then, when no barriers remain,
Put your bare lot into the blessed place
Where the magic happens.
From there, just kind of mix it up, all together,
And you’re done!”
Ms. Serensky talked to us about how to
make a smoothie today.
We all felt weird about it.
Starting
at the title, the above poem evokes extreme discomfort from readers. The ominous
allusion to “The Talk” brings feels of awkwardness and embarrassment for people
of all ages, but particularly for teenagers who may have had the misfortune of
hearing a certain talk from their parents in recent years (title). As well, the vague
diction used throughout, such as “they” and “everything,” allows room for the
reader’s imagination to take over (1, 3).Though the poem remains about the art
of smoothie making, the title combined with its purposeful vagueness causes
some readers to recall memories from health class and those awkward parent-teen
conversations. Moreover, the allusion to a superior, “Ms. Serensky,” combined
with the idea of a non-English related topic generates pathos, students of Ms.
Serensky feel intense distress at the idea of their teacher having an off-topic
lesson (9). The poem evokes an overall
sense of unease, though the majority of this discomfort forms out of the reader’s
own imagination.
Roo, your ending made me laugh as I could not think of how this awkward poem could turn into something humorous. I find misdirection in jokes very funny and could not help but think of the Kia Sorento super bowl ad which touched upon the same subject albeit dishonestly. And finally, I found the inclusion of Ms. Serensky as the teacher of smoothie making very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI honestly felt nervous about reading your blog due to the nature of your title. When I read the line incorporating Ms. Serensky as the source of the discussion, I simultaneously cringed and laughed as I imagined a plethora of AP English 12 students having "The Talk," trying to fight to gain speaking time and discussion points. My parents recently tried to have this "talk" with me at dinner. They started singing a song called "The Birds & The Bees" so I decided to leave my house before I threw up on the table. Things like this make me want to crawl into a dark room and never come out again.
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