This week, I chose the poem “Facetime” by Clint Smith because after reading just the title and a couple of lines, I felt it was very relatable to our times with the pandemic. It is about how FaceTime is able to bring two people together, just by a simple click, so matter how far apart you are in physical distance.
Upon reading the whole poem, I realized how special it is, aside from it relating to how heavily relied upon video chatting is during this pandemic. This poem is unique because Smith is writing the poem to his son in his wife’s stomach. So, when he addresses his wife, he addresses her as “your mother”; I find that this makes the poem a little more interesting and cute as he is essentially speaking to his unborn son, and he will be able to read this poem one day when he is older.
Smith is away on a trip, and his wife is able to stay connected and face the camera towards her stomach so that Smith doesn’t miss any special moments with his son. My favorite line is when he says, “when I speak I can see you moving beneath her skin as if you knew that this distance was only temporary.” He is providing comfort in his words to his son, even though he is not physically able to be with him.
Smith is in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar things and people, but is still able to remain connected to his family and gain the sense of familiarity he is lacking. This poem relates to all of us, because we will soon be going to college, each to their own unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces, but it is important to remember that thanks to our advanced technology, there is always a way to find that familiarity, whether it be through a weekly FaceTime call with your friend or family member, or by sending a small gift to a friend, or by checking up on friends to see how they are adjusting to their new life.
Would you say that you are more worried or excited about going to the unfamiliar in just a few months?
This is such a cute premise for a poem oh my goodness. I love the part about the baby knowing the distance and almost trying to escape in a way. It is so sweet and wholesome that he's speaking to his unborn son. The whole other topic of the unfamiliar I find to be really scary though! I'm someone who likes to have a solid plan and as exciting as it can be, it leaves room for some mess ups and mistakes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet poem! It's a great way to view all the benefits of technical connections that people have despite comments about how this society always has our faces in our phones. This was a wonderful way of making it more cute and slightly emotional. And I'm honestly trying my hardest to be positive and excited about college, but I can't help being nervous about it. Like Chaya mentioned ^^ I enjoy having a "plan" before starting new stages of things.
ReplyDeleteFacetime is amazing. I'm able to speak to my family in Israel at the click of a button and feel as if we're in the same room. Maybe one day there will be ultra-realistic holograms.
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