Poemblot (as in inkblot) is a regular feature where a general reader (i.e. someone who does not have an educational or professional background in writing or literature) is shown a poem and asked to offer an immediate impression. The reader reads the poem no more than twice and is not given any instruction on how to read it or information about the author. One of the purposes of Poemblot is to explore the different perceptions and assumptions readers bring to a text. The readers' full names will not be shared to protect them from rampaging, ego-bruised poets on social media. Instead we'll offer some basic background information and a representational photo provided by each reader as a framework for who they are.
THE READER
Brandy D. 
Age: 42
Occupation: Kitchen Queen
Favorite Book: Ticktock
Favorite Movie: Dogma
Favorite TV Show: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Favorite Song: Question (Moody Blues)
THE POEM
My Father Tries To Tell a Story
BY TERESA BALLARD
He imitates the gait
with the slow canter of his fingers
and it was a buck my father said,
trapped on the bridge and I, the gatekeeper.
A deer must have wandered in early
before the rise of commuters
then the boats came, the bridge
rose and trapped the animal. My father
tried to stop the gate from closing,
this man who had hunted and killed
dozens, carried them out
from under the pines. Yet all morning
he tried to explain the difference
of the body wild jumping over the side
and his own body reaching foolishly
for what he could not save.
Brandy D.’s IMMEDIATE IMPRESSIONS
1. What strikes you most about this poem? Does reading it bring up any thoughts, emotions or sensations?
The poem made me a little sad- wild majesty trapped by human contraptions and then lost. But it also reminded me that context matters.
2. What do you like most about this poem?
The poem was clear enough that I felt like I could understand at least some of what the author was trying to express.
3. What do you like least about this poem?
I’m not a huge fan of the feeling of disjointed, halting storytelling, and I did get that from this piece.
4. Before reading any poem, do you come to it with certain expectations? If so, does this particular poem meet those expectations? Does your expectations affect your opinion of this poem?
Not knowing what to expect at all, I had absolutely no expectations going in, which is nice because it means that I couldn’t be disappointed if it didn’t meet my expectations.
[;-)]
5. Does this poem make you want to read more poems?
The poem didn’t drive me to change my consumption of poetry in general.