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The
Space
by Gary Soto
interpreted by Shannon Cooney
West
of town,
Near
Hermosa's well,
I
sleep sometimes--
In
a hammock of course--
Among
avocado trees,
Cane,
spider-grass,
The
hatchet-faced chula,
The
banana's umbrella
Of
leaves,
It
is here
In
the spiny brush
Where
cocks gabble
Where
the javelina
Lies
on its side
Like
an overturned high-heel
I
say it is enough
To
be where the smells
Of
creatures
Braid
like rope
And
to know if
The
grasses' rustle
Is
only
A
lizard passing.
It
is enough, brother,
Listening
to a bird coo
A
leash of parables,
Keeping
an eye
On
the moon,
The
space
Between
cork trees
Where
the sun first appears.
Poet: - Borne in Fresno, CA
-
Not interested in becoming a poet when growing up
-
Won many many awards
-
Sold over 1 million copies of his poetry books
-
Still living
Vocabulary: Chula - Prickly pear, the pear-shaped
fruit of a cactus
Javelina:
A wild sow; literally a female mountain pig
Parables:
Short, simple stories that illustrate a moral or
religious
lesson
Type of poem: Lyric
Speaker: The poet or some person talking
about the place where they like to go to relax.
Audience: This is directed towards people who have a special
place or spaces. It is also directed towards people who do not have a
special space.
Tone: The Tone is very calm, peaceful, and
mellow.
Meaning: - It does not matter where the space is.
-
It is special because you make it that way
-
It is a place to go to get away form the rush of life.
Structure of poem: Free verse
Examples of poetic techniques used in the poem:
“Where
the Javlina lies on its side like an overturned high-heel,” (lines
13-15)
“To be where the smells of creatures braid like rope,” (lines
17-19) |
Simile |
Happens
throughout the whole poem
ex. “The Banana’s umbrella of leaves,” (line 8 -9)
|
Run-On
Line |
“The
Grasses rustle,” (line 21)
|
Imagery |
“coo,”
(line 25)
“gabble,” (line 12)
|
Onomatopoeia |
“A
leash of Parables,” (line25)
|
Oxymoron |
“It
is here,” (line 10)
“Lies on its side,” (line 14)
“Is only,” (line 22)
|
End
Stopped Line |
Connection between the poem and the poet's life and/or
times: Mr. Soto must have felt very tense or alone at one time
and wanted to write about the place where he goes to relax, or a place
where he would like to go.
Most memorable quote from the poem: “I say it is enough
to be where the smells Of creatures braid like rope and to know if the
grasses’ rustle is only a lizard passing,” (Soto line 16-23).
© Smelli Notes 2001
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