Sunday, September 14, 2014

Philippe Petit Poem: Zach Powell

When I first started thinking about writing this poem I felt stuck. I have a full page with two columns of stuff written down from watching the video. So I decided to watch the video again. When I started it everything on my page start to pop out to me and it stopped looking like a blank page. I had impossible written down many times but while I was watching that is what stuck out to me. Impossible. So that is what I started my poem with. At he point when he came back down from being at the top and saying it impossible he look up at the towers and said "It's impossible, but i'll do it." I looked at my paper again and decided I knew exactly what I was going to do. It took me an hour to come up with how to start this and it took maybe an hour to write it. While I wrote the stanzas in the poem I watched the video right along side of it so I could visualize the build up.



Impossible,
1363 feet up,
No safety, no protection.
200 feet the other tower,
It’s impossible, but I’ll do it.

The buildings kept calling to him,
He was sneaking, hiding, getting caught every day,
They became an ally and friends.
8 months of false starts, last minute reversals, and heart breaking delays,
He decided to go for it.

On the eve of the impossible
He and two men carry three crates up,
200 feet steel cable, bow and arrow, disassembled balancing pool, and fishing line.
It took all night to install the 1 inch cable across the gap between the two buildings.

The impossible is here.
One foot on the building one foot on the wire ready to shift his weight to become a bird.
After a couple steps he was smiling
He was overwhelmed with the since of ease  
The sounds of people below grew louder and louder
When he saw the cops he started to dance and smile
The cop said what he watched was something that happens once in a life time
He then he lie down on the wire and a bird caught his attention
The bird was a sigh for him to close the curtains of the show
45 minute and 8 crossings
The impossible is possible!

6 comments:

  1. I like your use of the word impossible in your poem. It can really grab the reader's attention about how one man did something that is impossible, but he made it possible. I also like how you put the entire process of him getting everything ready for his attempt. Great poem.

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  2. I also like the word impossible in the poem. I used this word to start my poem and I feel you and I have close to the same feelings towards the video. I think we also incorporated the same tone and diction in the poem which is cool to see. I enjoyed this poem for those reasons.

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  3. I really like how you used exact quotes from the film but also incorporated your own ideas. I think the repetition of the word "impossible" really allowed the reader to experience Philippe's doubt and later to overcome it. Really nice job!

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  4. I felt like your poem was very well done. It conveyed the sense of aww and a sense of how impressive his accomplishment was. While I was reading, I felt like the emotions of Phillipe were present. The anticipation and then the excitement were both shown in the tone of your poem.

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  5. I really like the way you set up your poem.
    It made it easy to read and comprehend while also telling the full story of Philippe Petit. Great job.

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  6. Your use of facts while not just telling the story is what I enjoy in your poem. You tell the tale of this incredible man, but make it your own at the same time. The last line is my favorite throughout the whole poem.

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