Poeta en San Francisco

For Thursday, please read through p. 38 (at least). Consider the following questions/issues as you read. When I refer to "poem," I'm referring to the entire book, which I read as a long poem. I'll be inviting the author onto the blog in the next few days, so please prepare questions for her. And send in your blog entries by Thursday morning, as per usual.

1. What are the links between Filipino history and culture and the Vietnam war, as Reyes presents them?

2. Consider the importance of music (The Clash's "Charlie don't surf") to the poem.

3. Why does Reyes use more than one language in her poem? If you know some Spanish, how does that help to read these first sections? If you do not know Spanish, what is the effect on you? (There are foreign language dictionaries on-line--use them!)

4. "The pure products of America go crazy" (21) is a quotations from a William Carlos Williams poem ("To Elsie"). Find "To Elsie," and figure out its importance to Reyes's poem.

5. On p. 12, Reyes writes " this is not a love poem," and yet it seems to be. Why?

6. Consider the richness of the imagery throughout. What are some of your favorite lines, images, moments in the poem so far?

aloha, sms