Ode to a Cactus

There it stands, proudly; (a) -> "It" refers to the cactus, proudly means strong
A lump in the sand so dry. (b) -> Lump refers to shape of cactus
Beauty of the western desert, (c) -> A cactus is often a symbol of the desert
Unable to reach the sky so high. (b) -> Yet, it is a small humble plant

Exotic green among sandy yellow, (a) -> Green is the colour, which stands out among the sand
Inner soul, blank and hollow. (b) -> Inside of the cactus is hollow, inside also means soul
Meager water needed, yet; (c) -> It does not need plenty of water to survive, but
Lifesource, for those who follow. (b) -> Provides food for other animals, gives more than receives

Lonesome flower, hidden; (a) -> Only one beautiful flower, yet hidden
Behind the deceiving thorns. (b) -> Behind dangerous and protecting thorns ("texture" = thorns)
Living until the day, with; (c) -> It = cactus, lives and lives, withering until
Only death who mourns. (b) -> There is nothing left to mourn

Analysis

Topic: As random as a cactus may sound, it was not purely randomly chosen as the topic for my poem. A cactus, is something I really like, but something I've allowed myself to become fond of. It's hard to explain why exactly I like cacti, but I started to take a liking to it after many "appearances" were made in my life. One of my favourite detective shows featured a character, very skilled in camouflage, dressed in a cactus-suit each episode. The goal was for the viewer to identify his "hiding spot". Second, one of my favourite characters like to raise and collect cacti. From that, I also began to see cacti in a different view.

Poem:After picking a theme, I decided on a structure for the poem. I chose to use couplets, but in a rhyme scheme of abcb. For the poem, I wanted to describe the lifespan of a cactus in its natural habitat, the desert. My first verse introduced the cactus as a small and humble, but proud plant in a scarcely populated desert. My next verse went more depth and started to describe the cactus, rather than the cactus in the environment. My last verse zoomed in on the flower of the cactus, as it is a rare and unexpected feature. A brightly coloured flower, able to bloom from a plant that grows in an environment deprived of nutrition and where most plants would die, is truly a wonder. Finally, I decided to finish the poem by making the cactus die. Or rather, slowly making the cactus fade, as the desert returned back to the empty, and sandy yellowness.

There was a hidden metaphor or message behind the entire poem that I was subconsciously aware of. There exist something very precious in this world, which do not require much initial investment or care, but gives so much in return. It may be hidden or right in plain sight, but it is definitely there somewhere. Whether you take time to notice and find it is up to you, but one day it will be gone.

Storyboard: My storyboard began in my head as a series of pictures, or main points I wanted to hit on. Then I drew the rough sketches, inked the pictures, and scanned the pictures onto the computer. Next, I coloured the pictures in Photoshop and added certain textures for the sand and cacti. This was a painstaking process, as I found out, and took many hours to finish. Next, I uploaded the pictures, coded the site, and choose the colours. With the help of lightbox, I was able to link the pictures as I wished. Then, I wrote the video script for the camera and sound. And, Voila, the storyboard is done.

My main focus through the story board is to emphasis the lone cactus, in the vast desert. I chose to start with a far shot of the cactus, so you can see the comparison between the cactus and its environment. Then, by slowly zooming in, the cactus is emphasized. The first few frames contained around 2 stanzas of the poem, but as the climax neared, I spaced out the words so be more choppy and short, so each word is emphasized. This fit with my storyboard as well, as the close up of the flower is meant to show the cacti slowly dying with time. To end it, I decided to go back to a shot similar to the first frame, except the cactus has become yellow. Then by slowly blurring and fading the cactus, until finally, it is gone and only the vast desert remains.