Reading what I did in Maps to Anywhere I first thought that the essays were going to have nothing to do with one another. However, when re-reading some parts of the essays, I realized that the essays where much like the connection that Tocqueville's had with the poems. That is to say that the essays do not fit together like puzzle pieces, but rather an author writing a new book that will make reference to past books already written. Despite this subtle connection that the essays have, each essay was unique in its own way. The example I"m going to choose is "Live Wire".
 The name alone installs a curiosity to what the essay could be referring to. However Bernard Cooper is taking the name "Live Wire" to a literal meaning. "Live Wire" was a simple story about a wire that had fallen onto the street. A wire that could still be harmful and be enough of a story to get a person's attention. However, the real story, or essay rather, was how it was constructed. The essay was almost poetic, in which case I mean to dictate as literally poem like. The way it flows is elegant and easy, with a gravity only poetry can bring. Part of the trait that made it seem so poetic was the fact that it was all one sentence. All the words that fit perfectly in the "paragraph" are just one lengthy sentence. In poems this is often a style a person might use when writing. The rarity of the use in essays extenuates the mood of the story. The continuous sentence gives the reader the feeling that they themselves are in the situation, that the experience really left a mental impression on the author. Instead of reading something that would be absolutely terrifying, having heard of injuries caused by live wires, it manages to turn the event into an art piece. The fact that this was just one of many of the essays that Cooper wrote fascinates me.

I am going to write my blog on the story Indigo. I felt as though I could really understand where she was coming from. Knowing the difference between what she wanted and what was normal is not always an easy median to come to. When one does come to it though, everyone wants that individual to conform to what they solely want. Forget what the creator wants, what the other Indigo's of the world love to do, if it doesn't fit into everyone else's ideals it's garbage. Indigo though, knew that to be free of the confines of this situation, she had to hide the knowledge she possessed. NO ONE could know that she had found that median of understanding.
That being said, Indigo also demonstrates a ferocity that even today most girls, or men even, are incapable of displaying. In the face of danger she held her head high and went on the offensive. Her enemy never put her on the defensive, they couldn't put her on the defensive.
Nothing hindered who she was, not family, not friends, our talkative, nosy neighbors. When given the choice of a nick name, she rejected the idea. She wouldn't change even her name for others, so instead she once again found a median and abbreviated her name to Digo.
The character Indigo could easily be an inspiration for women. It doesn't even have to be women, but men as well. She is unafraid of who she is, what she is capable of, or what she wants to do. Not to mention that when she has a goal, such as that of learning to play the violin, she over comes it with great confidence. She looks the challenge right in the eye and conquers it with little struggle.

I have some heated things to say about "The Girl with the Blackened Eye." The first thing I noticed about this story was the description. The story also gives an accurate way of stating how people react to bruises on others. Whether the person thinks that the injury was from abuse or some sort of accident, people don't want to get involved in deeper situations. I also noted that the story held a lot about suppressing the memory, not facing it like a healthy person. What the person went through was obviously traumatic, and no one seems to want to know what happened. The girl mentioned that her husband didn't even know that part of her life. To me that is like hiding yourself behind a lie. Sure the lady was abducted, as well as other things, but it doesn't sound like she has ever gotten past any of it. The things she had witnessed and experienced has her still seeing the guy around.
I don't actually care for her. This is not to say that it isn't a horrifying story, but I just got angrier and angrier at this week person. It may sound cold and evil, but this woman is hiding from her past. She has brought lies with her. Her husband has no idea even what she went through. I don't like this person. She fears, but doesn't face. The lady is pushing her problems under the rug and one day she will make them known. Whether a real person or a character I would never wish these horrid events on anyone, but is it did happen, I would insist the get it all out of their system. I love the description, the movie that plays in my head because of the writing, but I can't say the same for the woman. I am able to say that I could feel her fear, and her other emotions through the writing. That the dialect is inspiring, but I can't condone the character.

On the page that has 25 on the corner I found a paragraph that stopped me and made me comprehend. Usually I would go on reading, not really paying attention to what the book or other types of long winded writings had if they do not interest me. I have to reread them multiple times just to comprehend them. This paragraph though, I didn't. To be honest the paragraph follows a lone line "The line of words feels for cracks in the firmament." It gave me the image of a string of word that head off into the sky. Eventually the further words would not be able to be seen, but, everyone would know that the words were finding a way to get to the heavens.
Reading the rest of the paragraph it almost was as if it were confirming my imagination. It painted the picture in my mind even further by the delicacy of the descriptions. Now the words are flowing at extreme speeds, right past Jupiter. Each word adding to a story that had a meager beginning. Trouble of getting past the large planet was described, yet no heavens.
The words continued to stream on in attempt to find there way in. No matter how long it took, it seemed as though the words were never going to give up. the idea was simply stunning. It was like people trying to fine the right words for a situation. Perfect meaning for things. Perfection that is so often compared to the idea that is heaven.
Even then the story wasn't over. The idea that the story can so easily be connected to the simple typed out words that are seen here. Making that image of words going past Jupiter that much more real. It leaves the question of what are we in comparison. What are we in comparison? That is for ones' self to decide alone I guess.

I was looking over some of the stories that our new packets had. While I did look at most of the fiction packet I truly felt emotion while looking at two in particular. These two I felt that I could understand even without ever being in the same situation.
As lazy as it may seem Survivors, the first poem in the packet, was one of the two. while looking at the other stories, Kim Addonizio's kept popping into my mind. I felt as though I could get some real understanding of the frustration of the situation. It spoke volumes that the first guy thought so deeply on the idea of loosing someone he deeply cares about. The idea of facing problems that would come along without the one he loved made him beg to die before his lover.
The man knows that the people that would come along after his lover's death would only bring him more pain than help. The people that once were so against their love would be all around him and he wouldn't be able to take this pain without his boyfriend. However, this would also indicate that he felt that his boyfriend was tougher in the aspect of loosing a loved one. The first guy probably also thought that his own family wouldn't be such a hassle to deal with. This story does make me question why the guy was thinking of their deaths. Were they sick or in an area of danger? It left me with questions, which is why it took my attention.

The second story that caught my attention was the Walking the Baby to the Liquor Store. The name alone made me stop and say "Wait, what?" I admired that the author used the clever name to capture attention. The story itself brought a smile to my face. The idea that a parent would give up time from work to care for the child warmed my heart. To me the parent felt like a man, due to the liquor store, but it just as easily could have been a woman. I suppose that was the point though, the gender isn't important, the happiness of the child is the only thing that matters. No matter what others may think, say, or do, it is worth it to have that child smile out of joy. Work is nothing in comparison the responsibilities of family and this is what the story told of. The writing demonstrated what it takes sometimes to care for a kid. Sometimes you can slack on the job, but when being a parent, the option isn't their.

I found that the poem Power Point III had an interesting set up. Though like everything else in the book it is poetry, however, the set up for this was different. This poem also included graphs and other forms of organization. It almost made it stiff while, ordinarily poems are meant to be free and expressive. That being said, the poem was still able to retain the qualities that allow others to enjoy poetry.
Like many of the work it was difficult to follow, but it just may have been the areas of breaking down the material that allowed myself to know what was going on. Page 57 demonstrates what I believe to be a mother just given birth attempting to kill herself. I say I believe because when first reading it was not clear. Underneath the poem is a matrix, essentially on how to set up a poem.

Without detailing the poem itself one is still able to then break down the poem their selves to better understand what is being told. It is much like why people do research as to why wolves howl, or why they do certain things, such as have alphas or omegas.

I kept looking back at this one poem that I found in Tocqueville. It was called "Airporter." It was relatively short in comparison to the majority of the rest, However, it felt as though it was displaying such defined emotion. The women of which the person speaks of seems as though they are a physical escape to what the main person wants to avoid thinking about. The women is nothing less but a distraction to the emotional pain that the man feels. The man also turns to addictive substances such as alcohol and cigarettes to quench his numbness.


In the poem their is a verse that says "The moon digs its way out of the dirt." which could mean that the dirt from destruction has finally started to settle and one can now see the moon it had taken so long. The emotion the guy is feeling could still be fresh. It could still require to be numbed in any way he can think of.