Poems by Alex Andy Phuong

The Meaning of Life

Life is what it is

Because it is what it is

 

Constant Growth

I was different as a child

See how much I have grown

I was a little brat back then

But now I know more than I had known

People change constantly

And so does the entire world

For that is what happens

As the world keeps turning

Days and years pass

But it is a gift to be alive

For age indicates the length of existence

In days, months, years, decades

No need to fear aging

Consider it a blessing to have lived that long

 

Melodious

Music

Melody

Tone

Voice

Monotony

Sing

Sang

Sung

Music ensnares the senses

Yet is hard to describe

Because one can hear it,

but cannot see it

Deaf people cannot even hear at all

(how unfortunate)

Music is a gift from the Muses

For the mind,

body,

and soul

What a wonderful gift indeed!

 

Text and Textuality

Texts can be books

Texts can be written

Texts can be electronic

Texts represent written language

Stories are often recycled

And some tropes are still relevant today as they were thousands of years ago

What makes a work relevant to today? = Fundamental themes

Fundamental truths (really do exist)

We are all human

And in spite of the language barriers created when people tried to build the Tower of Babel

People can still communicate with one another…Through the power of art!

Art actually is very useful

There is no need to shun the creative mind

Because sometimes imagination is more powerful than logical reasoning

And that is why we need the power of textuality

 

Magically Cinematic Spells

Snow White was the fairest of them all

And she was the one who started it all

 

Disney was going through a slump during World War II

And he kept on wondering what to do

Until Cinderella saved the Disney Studio, which is very true

 

Disney then wanted a “moving tapestry”

And spent six years and six million dollars on Sleeping Beauty

Aurora really was beautiful even though she had limited screen-time

 

Thirty years later, the Disney Renaissance began with The Little Mermaid

Ariel had the most beautiful voice even though Jodi Benson was the real owner

 

Beauty and the Beast provided a miraculous achievement in film history

By being the only animated film to receive a “Best Picture” nomination

It is a tale as old as a time

And a song as old as rhyme

And paid tribute to the late Howard Ashman

 

Disney is now undergoing a new live-action fairy tale Renaissance

with Maleficent, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast

 

“Belle” might be Emma Watson’s most magical role

After the completion of Harry Potter

 

Alex Andy Phuong earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University-Los Angeles in 2015.  He was a former Statement Magazine editor who currently writes about literature, film, and culture.  He has written film reviews for more than one hundred motion pictures for MovieBoozer, and his writing has appeared both online and in print.  Alex is a writer who dares to support the ones who pursue their dreams.

Thank you, Disney, for changing the cinematic landscape with fairy tale adaptations!