Slouch-back Girl: A Poem
Dean Traylor is a freelance writer and teacher who writes about various subjects, including education and creative writing.
a slouch back girl : originally posted at ehow.com
About a girl who wanted to belong
Slouch-back girl
Ambles down the hall
Slouch-back girl
Doesn’t walk alone
Slouch-back girl
Hangs with the straights
Slouch-back girl
Wants to belong.
Slouch-back girl
Calls them friends
Slouch-back girl
Just a hanger-on
Slouch-back girl
Looks to the straights
Slouch-back girl
Wants to belong.
Slouch-back girl
Is not like them
Slouch-back girl
Doesn’t dress the same.
Slouch-back girl
Talks with the straights
Slouch-back girl
Wants to belong.
Slouch-back girl
With voice not loud
Slouch-back girl
Gets lost in crowds
Slouch-back girl
Not seen by the straights
Slouch-back girl
Wants to belong.
Slouch-back girl
gets the blame
Slouch-back girl
Put out her flame
Slouch-back girl
Hangs with the straights
Slouch-back girl
Wants to belong.
Originally found on gophoto.
What are Kennings?
The Literary Device
Kennings is a literary device from the ancient days of the “English” (we stress English because it was more Germanic is nature, considering this was the era of the Anglo-Saxons)
Whether in old, middle or modern English, the definition of this device has not changed. It is a method in which poets use two words to name an object or person. One can argue that it may have led to the formation of compound words; however, to make this claim can be premature (any linguists out there?) Most of the times, the words are nouns; however, there are some kennings are variations of nouns and other part-of-speeches.
Some examples can be found in the translation of Beowulf and the elegy, “A Wife’s Lament”. In the latter poem, there are lines such as wave-tumult used in place of sea or ocean.
The Poor, Little Inspiration
The term “Slouch-Back” refers to a teenager. She was a mousey little girl who was hunched over by a heavy backpack. She was walking with the cliques trying to hang out and have a conversation with them as if they were her friends. The girls gave her a few cordial nods, but seemingly had little or no interest in her.
She didn’t dress like them. She was bookish and unassuming and lacked the pizzazz that many popular teens have. It wouldn’t be a surprise that she didn’t have the same ambition, interests, and temperament as they did. However -- as an outside observer -- one can only speculate on the latter. The most obvious thing was that she was an outsider trying desperately to be a part of the in-crowd, despite the person she really was.
Where Popularity Breeds
© 2012 Dean Traylor
