1. (explanation of poem choice)

 The reason I selected the poem that I did (the 'when I was 5' model) was that I felt it was the most poetic, especially at the end.  With the others, the ending of the poem made sense in relation to the rest of the poem, but  never made any definitive conclusion or worldly statement.  With this poem, however, I felt like I actually related back to not only what I was trying to sum up about the past, but also to the present, and in doing so posited a foreseeable future.  I also think of all the poems, this one flows better as a piece of literature, and never feels like I am just trying to jam in lines to rhyme or get a specific point across.  I feel like every line has at least some tangible meaning that relates to the mood set by the previous lines, and at the same time makes logical sense and doesn't sound ridiculous.