Slam+Poetry

media type="youtube" key="44sXwJgqUyc" height="315" width="420" By Taylor Mali
 * On Girls Lending Pens by Taylor Mali**

I walked into the classroom and straight to my chair, But when I reached for my pen, it just wasn’t there! I had no pen! or crayon! or pencil! I was stuck before class without a writing utensil.

I could have asked the teacher (if I had dared,) But I knew she would have said, “You’re unprepared!” So to be diplomatic and avoid the fight I quickly turned to the girl on my right,

Do you possibly have a pen I could borrow? I’ll use it today and have it back by tomorrow. “Oh! Furshur! What kind? I’ve got plenty.” And she turned around with a handful of twenty.

I really don’t care what color or style, I’ll take the fountain pen, I said with a smile. “Oh, you don’t want that one. It comes out all ugly. And it’s made of pure gold,” she said to me smugly.

Then how bout the blue? “No, that one hops.” Okay, maybe the green? “Comes out in glops.” Black? “I’m afraid it’s having trouble connecting.” Red? “I’ll need it if we do any in-class correcting.” Look, I said, my voice filling with fear, Just gimme a pen before the teacher gets here!

“But this one always comes out in tons, The yellow one skips and the purple one runs. When the brown one dries, it looks real icky, And the orange one’s covered with something sticky. This one’s for emergencies (in case I get confused) ‘cause it’s clean and it’s fresh and it’s never been used. I keep this one for quizzes ‘cause it brings good luck, And the ballpoint’s splotchy and the cap is stuck. This one’s empty, with the silver band, And the felt-tip will leak all over your hand. This one’s cracked, and that’s gone berserk! And that would be perfect but it doesn’t work. But here! Take this one! This one’s fine! Oh wait…I’m sorry, this one’s mine.” I think she went on but I couldn’t have cared. I decided it was better to go unprepared.

__Poetic Devices;__

One of the poetic devices used in this poem is rhythm and rhyme. The poem's rhyme scheme goes a, a, b, b, c, c, and so on. For instance, the first 4 lines: "I walked into the classroom and straight to my //chair//, But when I reached for my pen, it just wasn't //there//! I had no pen! Or crayon! Or __pencil__! I was stuck before class without a writing __utensil."__

Personification is also used in 'On Girls Lending Pens.' All of the personification is used to describe different pens and what is wrong with each. For example: "The yellow one skips and the purple one runs." "And that one's gone beserk!" When he says that the yellow pen skips, it means that when you write the ink doesn't come out half the time, but it doesn't actually skip like a person. The purple pen's ink runs all over the page, but it doesn't actually run like a person, and pens cannot actually go beserk.

A lot of imagery is used in the poem when describing the different pens, and the setting of the classroom. "This one's empty, with the silver band, And the felt-tip will leak all over your hand." "So to be diplomatic and avoid the fight I quickly turned to the girl on my right."

Oxymoron is also used when the girl says "And this one would be perfect, but it doesn't work." That phrase contradicts itself because it goes on to say that the pen is perfect, then continues to say it is not.

__Theme:__ I think that the theme of this poem is about how sometimes it's better to just come unprepared to class because not everyone has extra school supplies to lend you. If you don't want to listen to a huge rant about why each pen doesn't work, or for instance why someone doesn't have an extra piece of paper or calculator, then I suggest you just ask the teacher for whatever you need. Sometimes that may mean potential embarassment in front of the entire class, but it's really your choice whether you want to bring supplies or not. This poem just goes to show that you should always be prepared, no matter what the occasion!

__Why I Chose It:__

I chose 'On Girls Lending Pens' because I have had the same experience it talks about. Many times I've forgotten a writing utensil and I've had to ask to borrow one from somebody else. I got many excuses such as 'this one doesn't work,' or 'I have no extra pens,' or the one I hate the most; 'THIS ONE'S MINE!' Honestly, I have also been on the other end of the conversation many times. Classmate: "Krysta?" Me: "Yes?" Classmate: "Do you have a pen I can borrow?" Me: "NOPE. NO, I DO NOT HAVE AN EXTRA PEN. GO ASK SOMEONE ELSE. THIS IS MY ONLY ONE AND I NEED TO USE IT. NO PENS OR PENCILS HERE. I HAVE NO WRITING UTENSILS FOR YOU TO BORROW, SORRY." (Please notice my wonderful lying skills.) Classmate: "Okay, fine." As my classmate walks away, I think: VICTORY, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Why? Well, secretly, I have about five extra pens in my backpack. Why do I feel the need not give out my stuff to classmates? For two simple reasons: 1. People ALWAYS lose my things, and never make it up to me. 2. People need to learn how to COME PREPARED!!! So basically, the reason I chose this poem is because I know of the fear you get when you don't come prepared, and I also know the irritation of lending out supplies to someone else who didn't come prepared.