Response to "patience" by Kay Ryan

There are many ways to describe patience that each person experiences in life. There are, of course, different perspectives of the way patience plays a role in our lives. However, I think that "Patience" by Kay Ryan is a descriptive poem having many vivid phrases to paint a precise picture of patience; it is also a poem that accurately relates to my life through the choice of words Ryan uses in his poem.

Kay Ryan writes about patience through a very imagery vocabulary that describes it exactly to what it is. There were certain phrases that stood out to me as I read the poem thoroughly. For example, "with ribbons of rivers" stood out to me because of the picture I got in my head as I read it (Ryan 4-5). I got the picture of patience having its own flow through the land, which made me relate it to a river making its way without losing its way. As I always think of rivers, I find them interesting how they always seem to take you where they are destined to end. In likeness, patience takes you through situations that can be fast or rocky but, like the waters of rivers, it endures in a calm manner. "Finished with modest relish by natives with their native dresses" also caught my attention as it was harder to understand and interpret; nonetheless, it reminded me of the way that natives are not exposed to other cultures to compare their lifestyles (Ryan 9-13). The natives have a great sense of security in what they do, in a humble way to enjoy their ways of cultures. Similarly, patience is having a sense of safety in timing through a situation in which can be compared to the security the natives delight in their dress and customs. The idea that patience is not always a great path to take in a distressing situation is contradicted by Ryan; "who would have guessed it possible that waiting is sustainable- a place with its own harvests" (Ryan 14-20). The idea of being patient frightens people who think there is an obligation to lose something to gain patience; however, it's the opposite. Patience gains its own benefits and gains; although, it can become a struggle in which patience is a costly factor, it builds perseverance in character to whomever it may affect. "The diamonds of patience" refers to the beauty of it (Ryan 23-24). The rewards of being patient are characteristics that shine out like a diamond. It's truly a blessing to be patient, because you are able to persist through circumstances with a calm, enduring, and meek spirit in your mind and heart.

These descriptions of patience are exact illustrations to the ways patience has played a role in my life. Ryan describes patience as having "distant ranges and tasks undertaken" (Ryan 6-8). This statement reveals the reality of my life as how patience helped our family through my cousin's brain surgery. It definitely took a lot of patience sitting in the waiting room at Vanderbilt as Cassidy was in the Operation

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