Poem Extract

Hi,
I would like to share a poem that I enjoy reading and share what I learned from it.

"One picture puzzle piece
Lyin' on the sidewalk,
One picture puzzle piece
Soakin' in the rain.
It might be a button of blue
On the coat of the woman
Who lived in a shoe.
It might be a magical bean,
Or a fold in the red
Velvet robe of a queen.
It might be the one little bite
Of the apple her stepmother
Gave to Snow White.
It might be the veil of a bride
Or a bottle with some evil genie inside.
It might be a small tuft of hair
On the big bouncy belly
Of Bobo the Bear.
It might be a bit of the cloak
Of the Witch of the West
As she melted to smoke.
It might be a shadowy trace
Of a tear that runs down an angel's face.
Nothing has more possibilities
Than one old wet picture puzzle piece.

Picture Puzzle Piece by Shel Silverstein "

This poem left a deep impression on me because it relates to my life as a student and the big future that lies ahead of me.

Firstly, I will talk about what the poem means. The poem illustrates a scene of the poet walking past a single puzzle piece on the sidewalks. He is interested in it and starts to ponder on the possibilities of what it could be, instead of other passers-by who would treat it as a lost item or simply rubbish. He lists all the characters and things related to fairy tales to help children to understand the poem better.

I think the poet is trying to target people who are very straight-minded and cannot think out of the box. As a single puzzle piece is small and does not portray a complete picture, there are a lot of possibilities of what the puzzle could be. Thus, I think that the poet is trying to tell us to look at a matter more optimistically, by pondering on what paths it could take us to if we look at it differently and not just looking on one side of things. For example, a choice of what courses to pick up in university is a puzzle piece. We should not just take the course which seems the easiest or the one that sounds the most interesting and stick to it no matter what. Instead, like the poet, we should consider all the possibilities and imagine what our future would be like if we should join a certain course. When we do this, we would be able to list our choices better and decide what is best for us.

I learnt important lessons from this poem. I learnt that we should be more optimistic and take time to ponder on a matter, especially studies because it will affect our future greatly. Therefore, we should exercise our critical thinking skills to ponder on the possibilities of what it could hold. We should also not be so greatly let down by a setback, because it may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Finally, I learnt that we should not jump at conclusions by just looking at one piece of the puzzle. Instead, we should take an unbiased and full view of the whole matter before making a decision about something or someone. This will enable us to be more objective and will help us to judge something accurately.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this poem and learnt many lessons that I can apply in my life in the future.

Loo Nathanael (18) 2I1