Responding to a Poem

The two poems that I reacted strongly towards were “Charlie Howards Descent,” by Mark Doty and “Song of Napalm,” by Bruce Weigl.
In “Charlie Howard’s Descent” I was shocked by the cruelty but then inspired by the power of forgiveness. A man lived his whole life being ridiculed and tortured by everyone around him. “I, imagine he took the insults in and made them a place to live…” (Doty lines 21-22). He was able to take the insults and lock them up to where they would not cause him pain. In the end he was killed for being gay and somehow he forgives his murderers. Having the ability to forgive those who have taken your life away is remarkable. He will never be able to see anyone that he loved again but he does not think of it in that way. In fact, he is much more mature than his neighbors, because rather than hating them the way they hated him, he chose to see beyond that.
After reading Bruce Weigl’s “Song of Napalm” I was distraught at the image of the little girl burning alive. When I finished the poem I was able to see the remorse he felt and the willingness to be strong for his wife. The picture I was able to create of the little girl was unbearable seeing as how I have a strong passion for children. I wanted nothing more than to believe that she had flown away and was rid of all her pain. “So I can keep on living, So I can stay here beside you” (Weigl lines 28-29). The amount of willpower it takes to try and forget such a dirty deed is astonishing. The power of love always seems to rise above all others.