Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

PICNIC, LIGHTNING, by BILLY COLLINS Poet Analysis Poet's Biography

Billy Collins is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. "Picnic, Lightning" is a poem from his 1998 collection "Picnic, Lightning."

Explanation:

"Picnic, Lightning" is a humorous poem that explores the unpredictable and sometimes absurd nature of life. The poem begins with the speaker describing a picnic, with a group of people sitting on the grass and enjoying the sun. Suddenly, lightning strikes and everything is thrown into chaos. The speaker notes that lightning is a perfect metaphor for the way life can change in an instant, without warning. The rest of the poem continues in this vein, with the speaker reflecting on the many uncertainties and contradictions of life, such as the fact that something beautiful can be simultaneously deadly, or that the sun can be both a source of warmth and of skin cancer. The poem ends with the speaker acknowledging that despite all of these contradictions and uncertainties, life is still worth celebrating.

Poetic Elements:

Structure: The poem is written in free verse, with no consistent rhyme scheme or meter. However, the poem is divided into stanzas of varying lengths, with the longest stanza (at 11 lines) in the middle of the poem, giving the impression of a central focus.
Imagery: The poem makes use of vivid imagery to convey the suddenness and unpredictability of life, as well as its many contradictions. For example, the image of lightning striking during a picnic is a powerful one that conveys both the beauty and the danger of nature.
Tone: The tone of the poem is light and humorous, with the speaker using irony and wordplay to make his points.

Conclusion:

In "Picnic, Lightning," Billy Collins uses humor and vivid imagery to explore the unpredictability of life and the many contradictions that make it both beautiful and dangerous. Despite the chaos and uncertainty of the world, the poem ultimately offers a message of hope and celebration. As the speaker notes in the final stanza

Poem Snippet:

And we are still alive,

and that is a kind of miracle,

as with no little astonishment

we gaze at each other and say, "We made it again this year,