It sounded like a siren, or a cannon that just boomed.
Although my nose felt dry, my stomach growled with dismay
I look down at the green snot and knew what outcome loomed.
Slowly I nibbled at the cotton tissue end,
But I quickly moved to the salty boogers within.
After one, I could not stop, could not even pretend
That my pesky cold had not become a dangerous addiction.
Classmates look on with disgust as I eat my own green monsters
I laugh because I know my obsession TLC will sponsor.
As some of you may know, I suffered
from an obnoxious sinus infection over the past few weeks. The waterfall of
boogers that streamed from my nose seemed never ending, and my constant search
for Kleenex interrupted many of my classes. From the trumpet that sounded to
the awkward walk to and from my seat, this sickness caused me more
discomfort than I have experienced in a while. So my not share it with my AP
English classmates? In my poem, I opted to use the most upfront diction that I
possibly could to arouse the most uneasiness from my readers. Society often
teaches us to apply the euphemism “mucous” instead of “snot” or “boogers,” but
I wanted my classmates to experience the maximum discomfort levels (4, 6). I
must confess that I do not actually consume my soiled Kleenex as an afternoon
snack, so the “salty” description may not hold true (6). However, if anyone
wishes to indulge in my “strange addiction,” please report back with imagery as
vivid as my own. Until then, stay healthy my friends.
Alyssa, I do not know what disturbed me more, the ending of your paragraph or your poem itself. Out of all the poems, you directly address your gross subject matter the most which bothered me greatly as I cannot think of something as disgusting as consuming mucous. So, you have successfully disturbed me, and I will now forever live with the scar of imagining the taste of used tissues.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, your poem certainly caused me to feel grossly uncomfortable. It reminded me of some of the gross occurrences I have witnessed and experienced as a babysitter including: watching kids eat food off the floor, getting drooled on, getting sneezed on, kids not washing their hands after using the bathroom, and many more. While I do think society can occasionally act a little paranoid about germs, my babysitting and your poem remind me how much I appreciate soap and hand sanitizer.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, you had mention this blog post to me a couple days ago, and just from your description I felt uncomfortable. Yet, after reading this poem I never realized how uncomfortable I could truly feel. When you describe boogers as "salty," I thought I might puke. Like you, my dad recently caught a bad cold, but he still insists on sitting at the dinner table with my mom and I. He yaks all over our food, and my mom makes her classic disgusted face. Obviously, we have quite the family dynamic during illnesses.
ReplyDeleteEW! I can honestly say that I have not felt more uncomfortable in a long time than when I did reading that poem. I, somehow, always snipe the nose pickers in class, or while driving. When I catch people "picking and driving" I cannot help but laugh because they think no one watches them...but I do. I loved how you included how your obsession TLC will sponsor. Well done!
ReplyDelete