I'm Sitting On a Porch Today- By Joseph Francis Fendt
I'm sitting on a porch today
Watching traffic drive by
It makes me wonder where and why
Some go straight while others take a turn
Some seem to be in a hurry
While others just seem to be there
And as I look past the traffic
Theres buildings everywhere
Some are dilapidated some are new
And pollution is everywhere
On the ground and in the air
I'm sitting on a porch today
And as I look around this is what I see
Fields, Trees and Mountain Peaks
Creek running by Beaver building a dam
The air is fresh and clean so is the land
With no other people or traffic to be found
The one porch is called the progress of man
While the other is creation by Gods hand
In this poem Joseph Francis Fendt describes the destruction of man by using his point of view from his "porch". Fendt describes two different images, the first is a modern and industrialized society, while the other is serene, beautiful and not yet reached by man. The poet's disappointment is shown when he is describing the first image; he seems sad and confused to see "the progress of man". Fendt's confusion of the reasoning behind destroying God's beauty is demonstrated in beginning of the piece, "Watching traffic drive by/It makes me wonder where and why" (2-3). I too sometimes feel this confusion, like Fendt. Why does our society always seem to be going somewhere or having something to do? We live in a society that is nonstop going, going, going, and I sometimes think that we miss the small beautiful things in life. Fendt goes on to describe the progress of man which is harmful and destroying our beautiful Earth. He uses words like, "buildings, dilapidated, and pollution" to point out the ugliness that has become of our once undisturbed and contented world (8-10). Although I am not against modernization and the progress of our society, I sometimes feel that cities and overbuilding can be dirty, destructive, loud, and ugly. I too sometimes feel suffocated by our busy and, at times, overbearing society.
Halfway through the poem, Fendt changes his view to the "other porch" to see the natural side. This side is beautiful, clean, and fresh. Fendt describes nature's treasures and other peaceful images. One description that really stuck in my mind was the picture of the animals building their home, "Creek running by Beaver building a dam/The air is fresh and clean so is the land" (15-16). This picture really just says, "We are undisturbed nature, the way we were intended to be". The poet's capper is also very powerful. It sums up the whole poem in two lines and leaves the reader thinking about how our society really can take over, "The one porch is called the progress of man/ While the other is creation by God's hand" (18-19). After reading this I kept thinking, the nature was here first, not our society. Although I do not think our society is evil and destructive, I do believe that we disturbed a once very peaceful and placid setting.
Watching traffic drive by
It makes me wonder where and why
Some go straight while others take a turn
Some seem to be in a hurry
While others just seem to be there
And as I look past the traffic
Theres buildings everywhere
Some are dilapidated some are new
And pollution is everywhere
On the ground and in the air
I'm sitting on a porch today
And as I look around this is what I see
Fields, Trees and Mountain Peaks
Creek running by Beaver building a dam
The air is fresh and clean so is the land
With no other people or traffic to be found
The one porch is called the progress of man
While the other is creation by Gods hand
In this poem Joseph Francis Fendt describes the destruction of man by using his point of view from his "porch". Fendt describes two different images, the first is a modern and industrialized society, while the other is serene, beautiful and not yet reached by man. The poet's disappointment is shown when he is describing the first image; he seems sad and confused to see "the progress of man". Fendt's confusion of the reasoning behind destroying God's beauty is demonstrated in beginning of the piece, "Watching traffic drive by/It makes me wonder where and why" (2-3). I too sometimes feel this confusion, like Fendt. Why does our society always seem to be going somewhere or having something to do? We live in a society that is nonstop going, going, going, and I sometimes think that we miss the small beautiful things in life. Fendt goes on to describe the progress of man which is harmful and destroying our beautiful Earth. He uses words like, "buildings, dilapidated, and pollution" to point out the ugliness that has become of our once undisturbed and contented world (8-10). Although I am not against modernization and the progress of our society, I sometimes feel that cities and overbuilding can be dirty, destructive, loud, and ugly. I too sometimes feel suffocated by our busy and, at times, overbearing society.
Halfway through the poem, Fendt changes his view to the "other porch" to see the natural side. This side is beautiful, clean, and fresh. Fendt describes nature's treasures and other peaceful images. One description that really stuck in my mind was the picture of the animals building their home, "Creek running by Beaver building a dam/The air is fresh and clean so is the land" (15-16). This picture really just says, "We are undisturbed nature, the way we were intended to be". The poet's capper is also very powerful. It sums up the whole poem in two lines and leaves the reader thinking about how our society really can take over, "The one porch is called the progress of man/ While the other is creation by God's hand" (18-19). After reading this I kept thinking, the nature was here first, not our society. Although I do not think our society is evil and destructive, I do believe that we disturbed a once very peaceful and placid setting.
