Ode to Nail Polish

A previous shoebox

now filled with glass bottles.

Glazed black caps screwed on secure.

What seems like hundreds of colors

posed upright,

lined in rows,

and rows,

and rows.

 

Azure, the color of the sea.

The blush of a child’s cheeks in the snow.

Ivory of elephant tusks,

emerald and jade mined by the hardest workers,

and the lemon and lime of a soda,

as refreshing

as translucent baby blue water

on a golden summer day.

The luxurious scarlet velvet daybed,

only sat on by

kings and queens with metallic crowns.

 

The human’s claws,

colored by enamel.

The reflective top coat is applied

with the microscopic brush,

immensely filled with soft bristles.

Made to show passion,

delicacy,

and elegance.

 

By Briana Ausgotharp

 

Poetry Publication Reflection

Questions Responses
  1. Which poem type did you publish?
The poem type I chose is ode.
  1. Answer the ONE question that goes with your poem type:

f. Ode: Why did you choose the subject of your ode?

I chose the subject of nail polish for my ode because it consists of many colors and can be made into inspiring art, but instead of only being painted, it is carried with you wherever you are on your nails.
  1. What is the tone of your poem?
The tone of my poem is admiring.
  1. What is the theme of your poem?
The theme of my poem is “simple beauty”.
  1. Choose TWO examples of figurative language in the poem.
  1. Quote the figurative language:The blush of a child’s cheeks in the snow.”
  2. Type of figurative language: metaphor
  3. Explain how this figurative language contributes to tone and theme development: Explains the pink color of a polish without stating it is pink.
  1. Quote the figurative language: “Azure, the color of the sea.”
  2. Type of figurative language: imagery
  3. Explain how this figurative language contributes to tone and theme development: Explains the color by relating it to something familiar.
  1. What are two specific ways you revised this poem? (Example: “I changed “happy” to “content.”) Why did you make these revisions?
Revision #1: I changed “to show emotion” to “to show passion”

Explanation: I did this because it made the poem flow smoother and it was more of an elevated word choice than “emotion.”

Revision #2: I changed “on a yellow summer day” to “on a golden summer day”

Explanation: This made it seem more lively and joyful. 

  1. How easy or difficult was it to write this poem? Why?
 It was neither easy nor difficult to write this poem. It was quite easy to think of things to relate the colors to, but it was hard to make nail polish seem sophisticated.
  1. How satisfied are you with your final draft? Explain.
 I am not completely happy with my poem, but it was the best out of the other ones I had written. I wish I had chosen a wiser subject or object that was easier to make elegant, but I am not upset with the way I portrayed the object in the poem.