Lyric Essay Annotations

ONE DAY| Paradise Valley, AZ by Marissa Roth

The author shifts through memories as she prepares for what seems to be her next journey. She describes herself as a nomad, perhaps referring to her many travels as a journalist or a photographer. She uses physical objects and their descriptions a way to give the audience insight into her life. It is very stream of consciousness and visual. Time is also a theme in this piece; the author talks about how she feels life has gone by very quickly and how her adventures are captured in pictures. She seems calculated and in constant motion. It is hard to place just who she is from this but it gives as a vague generalization of the life she leads.

ONE DAY| Manila, Philippines by Marissa Roth

This piece serves as more insight into the author. We know now what she does for a living and how this practice leads her to authenticity. She captures that capture the spirit of a place. She explains her mental process of seeking out the authentic images; almost like a possession that she is unable to identify. Her instincts seem to control her craft and take her to place that she needs to be. Using the picture she took as context for her brief story puts us with her in that moment.

Recipe: Marshmallow Rice Krispy Treats by Matt Roberts

The recipe is used as context to show us the values of the this man and his family after they suffered from Hurricane Katrina. It puts emphasis on his kids and how he has had to deal with finical pressures and other adults problems while also having to be a stable parent. It is overflowing with a manic anxiety that takes us through his innermost thoughts. He uses reference to dreams he has that illustrate more about his upbringing and his life in Louisiana and how it has impacted his cognition as an adult. It is a kind of autopilot mentality and very stream of consciousness, but the ideas are all loosely tied together.

Baudelaire Street by Chen Li

This piece holds more artists symbolism than the others. It is the crystal lear recollection of a vibrant childhood. Nostalgia is the medium at work, rousing visceral images from each stanza. It is a snapshot of a neighborhood and the authors daily routine. I find it interesting how the first two pieces (by Marissa Roth) used a picture as the context and insight and this writing from Chen Li seemed to create a much more fleshed out picture without any direct visuals. Could it be that a picture does all the imagining for us? I enjoyed Li’s use of specifics, mostly people reaction to a youngster on a bicycle and the direct interactions he would have. We learn so much about him through his descriptions of others.

The Heart as a Torn Muscle by Randon Billings Noble

By far my favorite of all the pieces in this section. It is clever, honest, and human. Using medical jargon as a way to work through the basics of lust and potential bad romantic choices. It runs through the questions and internal dialogue we use when we spot a person we are instantly attracted to along with all the intense ideas our mind begins to create. Not much can be said about this other than what the author has put onto the page themselves. Its really a deeper look into us all, rather than a hyper-personalized look into the author. It feels as if it is personal because all the examples are so detailed but upon stepping back you realize you have, at one point, been the one with the torn heart or the bohemian friend who has offered objective realism. I love how it takes on a subject that not many people write in depth about; the stage at which we question our current relationship for some chance at a beautiful new escape, or change of scenery. This piece talks about the cruelest kind of heartbreak; where we may never know what could have been.

Caramelo by Sandra Cisseneros

A literal snapshot of a childhood. She remembers the time a photograph was taken of her family and her thoughts on each of her family members comes out as she goes over it. She uses descriptive language to give us a look into who her family were at the time and how they have changed. The relationship between them is hinted at and left to the reader to decipher. When she finds a photo that doe snot include her she ponders her own importance int he family dynamic.

Owens Valley Part 3: Kings Canyon national Park by Marko Bajzer

This is a visual past-tense itinerary of a mans journey through nature. We learn about this thoughts and ideas as he traverses through a mountain range. He uses direct information to tell the reader what he has accomplished and how he felt at the time. He provided pictures to support his story as well as direct dialogue froths comrades who were with him. We are there with him in this hind-sight report of his journey and we learn his truth through experience.