Date and Time #2

I just recently attended a Shakespeare play called “Measure for Measure” as one of my literature events and was pleasantly surprised with the play.  I was expecting to be bored seeing as I’m not into plays very much, however, seeing how much time and effort the individuals put into the play made me pay more attention to all aspects of the play.  Although I’m still not a fan of plays in general or Shakespeare for that matter, I thought the play was well performed and the dedication from the individuals involved was fantastic.  Watching this play not only focusing on the content made me wonder if I should be looking passed just the words of Phil Kaye’s poems, and try to identify what he was truly feeling when writing his poems. During the “Middle” section of his book, Phil’s poems were mostly about his relationships with parents and growing up, which, at this time in my life, really hit home.

Ever since I was younger, I was extremely uncomfortable being away from my parents.  I attended a stay away camp when I was in 6^th grade and was overcome with anxiety the entire time I was there.  All I could think about was being away from the safety of my own parents.  This camp was all I could think about when leaving for college.  I live in Michigan, so coming to a school 8 hours away was petrifying to me, especially since the last time I was away from home and my parents went so terribly.  After getting to college I realized how valuable relationships with new friends were.  They took my mind off any homesick thoughts and truly made me feel at home.  In Phil’s poem “The New Apartment,” Kaye speaks about the impact his parents divorce had on him.  I feel like the title of this poem really relates to how I felt when I was away at camp.  I was in a new area and away from the comfort of familiar home which was frightening.  After reading this poem I felt the title alluded more to him being uncomfortable with the new living situation.  The feelings of his parents break up were emphasized by the fact that things got even worse by having a change in living situation.  When I left for school, the fact of being away from my parents was one thing but thinking that I wasn’t going to see my house in a large amount of time was very unsettling to me.

Seeing the Shakespeare play helped me realize that works of art and literature aren’t as simple as the words on the page.  Writers and actors put feelings and emotions behind what they’re investing their time into and it makes it that much more special for them.  Looking at the play in a different manner as previously described help me relate to more poems from Phil Kaye, and gave me the ability to fully appreciate the life experiences that he openly shared without asking for others’ experiences in return.