Ryan Fletcher

Exercise 1

Glorious

She awaits in the darkness,
And smiles for the lonely,
She glides when she walks,
And she knows me well.
Though we've never been together
In bright or stormy weather,
I see her in every other.
And her name is Glorious.

I find meaning in her,
She puts goals into me,
As she lets me appreciate her beauties
In the others that I see.
In these walks that last beyond the step,
And the talks that speak to me forever,
In these memories of a grateful man,
Grateful for Glorious.

She walks by the river,
And she talks through the world,
In her legends of beauty.
She seems to enjoy every moment of life,
And can smile just by posture.
As she is very much a part of the earth
And the earth a part of her.
Her name is Glorious.

I live my life for this woman,
Not knowing where she may be,
But she knows me when I need hope,
And sends me down her favorite angels
To bring me brighter days.
I see all the beauty in them,
And realize they are wonderful friends,
But they are just pretense,
Almost Glorious.

Sometimes I feel I've met her,
Like my Dad and his Dad before;
I live in a family of glory.
But she awaits in the darkness,
With her smiles for the lonely,
And though I've never really met her,
I've seen her in every other,
And I don't know her name,
But her nature,
Is Glorious.

Exercise 2 

• 1.           Marco was so grateful when someone returned his lost wallet.
• 2.           The person who found it said it wasn't within her nature to keep things that didn't belong to her.
• 3.           After someone returned  his lost wallet, Marco now believes in angels.
• 4.           The couple glided across the dance floor as they waltzed to the music.
• 5.           Some ballroom dancers are definitely great, while others are guilty of pretense.
• 6.           It helps to have good posture when dancing the tango.
• 7.           You should have seen the sunset last night. It was glorious. 
• 8.           Her goal was to become a world class dancer.
• 9.           After you try hip hop dancing, you can really appreciate those who do it professionally.
• 10.         As a dancer, Fred Astaire was a legend in his own time. 

Exercise 3  

1. The bird sound effects are an indication of the setting being in nature. The poem has a lot of nature allusions and imagery and it is also connecting nature with womenkind as a kind of homage to mother nature.
 
2. The last three lines have no sound effects so the listener will focus in more onto what they say. The lines indicate a revelation about the poet that in fact he does not know who 'Glorious' is, whereas before you would get the impression that Glorious is a specific person. 

Exercise 1

Gumshoe

I feel stuck,
Like gum on a shoe,
Between life
And a hard place.
Having to keep moving
No matter the attachments,
And the releases,
Of each, and every step.
I feel I’ve been chewed
And then neglected,
Left exposed,
Helplessly vulnerable
To circumstances.

I bear the scars of experience
And this life now has shapen me,
And made me stiff
So I can no longer mould
Into something new,
Ignorant of hurt,
Of loss,
heartache,
pain.

I have reached my oldest age,
And life is beginning to fade.

Exercise 2

• 1.           My car got stuck in the snow because it was too deep.
• 2.            Sometimes my back feels stiff in the morning especially after too much exercise.
• 3.           What do you think were the circumstances that led to their divorce?
• 4.           His face had many scars after playing ice hockey for so many years.
• 5.           Some people say the internet has helped them become less ignorant of other cultures.
• 6.           Buddhism suggests  that we should avoid earthly attachments.
• 7.           Your skin will burn if exposed to the hot sun for a long time.
• 8.           Dark blue jeans always fade after washing them several times.
• 9.           Baby animals are often vulnerable to predators.
• 10.         Gum is difficult to remove from the bottom of your shoe.

Exercise 3

The effect adds the impression that the speaker really is physically stuck somewhere, like in a cave, or down a deep hole. It makes it more powerful to listen to because it feels more convincing. It also has a dimension of humor to it. When it was originally being recorded the effect was too strong because people would be laughing through the whole poem, which was not the result Ryan was going for. And the repetition of the last word 'fade' is an actual demonstration of fading because the word, as it repeats, fades out.

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