Kurt Malkames - week 2

Writing assignment number 2 this week was once again a surprisingly enjoyable one. I wrote about one of the things that I think is highly beautiful and that is the Tour de France. The writing was inspired by a somewhat well known set of songs by the German electronic artist Kraftwerk. Since there were very few restrictions on this writing assignment it was easy to describe in detail what I think is fascinating about this cycling event. The preparation and dedication of the riders is machine-like. The bikes themselves are radical. Every aspect of a time trial bike is built to get to the finish line in as little time as possible. The riders even forgo a seat cushion for carbon fiber. I tried to capture this sense of perfection in my poem. As for the readings this week I think my favorite would have to be “The Colonel” by Carolyn Forche. It is very realistic and you can almost put yourself in the main characters shoes. Near the end of the poem there is a line “there is no other way to put this”. It really does a great job of convincing the reader that you are experiencing exactly what she was experiencing.