Tori’s “Death is not 100% Gluten-Free” reeks of satire, passing judgement on all fad diet promoters and health freaks alike. The speaker’s tone is full of sarcasm, leaving the poem full of sarcasm and wit and advice to just “live a little.” Eat a goddamn proccessed dessert.
Tori wrote for the “A Dozen Pieces” assignment and successfully incorporated most all of the elements into her poem, without seeming like a list. Her opening rhetorical question grabbed by attention– by saying “goddamn” in the first line, I knew this poem would be one of angst and satire (thus I would clearly love it). She adds to the playfulness of the poem with multiple lines of alliteration: “bullet bats its baby blues” and “fresh never frozen”, “leftovers for later”, “sing sweetly”, “live a little”.
The satirical tone coincides well with the informal, talkative form. Tori reinforces this tone through short interjections: “Wait.” and “Now.”, using them as transitions to new jabs at the health nuts of the world.
I love the implication that juicing is “lying” to the food: by transforming the solids into another form, it is confusing the food itself–this was great, subtle personification. My favorite line, “a speeding bullet bats/its baby blues at you heart’s expiration date like it’s December 31st,” includes riveting enjambment,playful alliteration, and a witty metaphor comparing the heart to fresh food that goes bad so quickly. Tori has a way of showing her speaker’s judgment on overcompensation of the health fad in today’s society.
The transition between the first and second stanzas seems to be lacking. An image of a cigarette between the coffee-stained teeth could tie it together quite nicely. I’m not really sure what the food craving is tugging at the “fragile hand”– this body part seems a bit forced.
Tori’s poem is overall a great satire and I can’t wait to read more of her works!