Emily Babski Journal #2

Before reading the poem “We Real Cool”, I guessed the poem would either be about love, nature, or death because those are common trends and themes seen in poems. When I heard the title, I assumed it had something to do with bullying. As the poem progressed, I came to the conclusion that it was about a group of guys who thought they were big shots and thought they were really awesome for skipping class. I decided early on that the poem was about school, so that did not change as the poem progressed. But it was evident that this poem was also about the consequences that early life decisions have on the effects of your life as a whole. Making a decision like not going to school leads to a life of sadness where you will “sing sin”, meaning live a life of crime, and you will ultimately “die soon.” When I read “die soon” two thoughts came into mind. One meaning the literal meaning of dying soon and the other was a meaning of internal death of always being sad or never having a life that was truly fulfilling. I think that if you have a worthless life, are not educated, and make poor decisions early on, you will be dead inside without realizing it. I loved hearing Brooks comment on her work because it cleared up some questions I had regarding the poem. One being the line “Jazz June.” I did not think of it as being sexual when I first read it, as she said many other people thought of this line in that regards, but I did not understand the meaning in general. Once I heard her read it out loud, I understood that she actually meant jazz music but she also read it in a way that had a beat and was very jazzy in its self. I really liked that!  Overall, it was a great first poem to read!