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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"So It’s Today" by Laure-Anne Bosselaar captures a moment of quiet reflection and poignant yearning to hold onto the fleeting beauty of summer as it begins to slip into autumn. Through the intimate act of collecting leaves and flowers that bear the marks of the changing season, the speaker attempts to preserve the warmth and vibrancy of summer, not just as a gift for a loved one but as a means to sustain their shared moments of joy and connection. The poem opens with the recognition of the present moment—"So it’s today"—a simple yet profound acknowledgment that carries the weight of realization and acceptance. The mention of the chokecherry tree, with its first leaves turning to ochre, serves as a natural marker of the seasonal transition, situating the poem at the precise point where summer begins to give way to autumn. The speaker's action of wrapping themselves in a sweater left behind by a loved one adds a layer of physical and emotional warmth to the poem. This gesture, coupled with the meticulous collection of rusting leaves and fading flowers, transforms the act of preserving these tokens of summer into a deeply personal and symbolic endeavor. The speaker’s desire to "hide them in my apron pocket" and keep the "crush clandestine against my belly" emphasizes the intimate and secret nature of this act, as if by concealing these signs of autumn, they might somehow delay the inevitable passage of time. Describing this act as "a simple gift / for you – for us" highlights the communal aspect of this gesture, suggesting that the speaker's efforts to preserve summer are not just for their own benefit but for the sake of sustaining the shared experience of warmth and togetherness with their loved one. This desire to "do / for a few more days of summer" reflects a universal human longing to hold onto the moments and seasons of life that bring us joy, even as we recognize the impermanence of all things. Through its delicate imagery and tender sentiment, "So It’s Today" explores themes of change, memory, and the bittersweet nature of temporal beauty. Laure-Anne Bosselaar’s poem invites readers to reflect on their own attempts to capture and preserve the fleeting moments that define our relationships and our lives, reminding us of the beauty that can be found in the act of cherishing and letting go.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE HEAT OF AUTUMN by JANE HIRSHFIELD OUR AUTUMN by ELIZABETH AKERS ALLEN AN AUTUMN JOY by GEORGE ARNOLD A LEAF FALLS by MARION LOUISE BLISS THE FARMER'S BOY: AUTUMN by ROBERT BLOOMFIELD A LETTER IN OCTOBER by TED KOOSER AUTUMN EVENING by DAVID LEHMAN EVERYTHING THAT ACTS IS ACTUAL by DENISE LEVERTOV SONNET: INSCRIPTION FOR A PORTRAIT OF DANTE by GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO |
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