Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Wind Chill" by Martha Collins is a poignant and layered poem that traverses the themes of nature, human connection, intimacy, and the inevitability of life's cycles through a series of vivid vignettes. Collins crafts a narrative that is both intimate and expansive, exploring the interplay between the elemental forces of nature and the deeply personal experiences that define human existence.

1. The poem opens with a scene of snow "chasing itself" across the road under a midday sun, juxtaposing the cold and movement of snow with the warmth and stasis of the sun. The imagery of "the cat's-eyes / of the oncoming cars" and the car "filling / with organ music as flesh is filled / with flesh" suggests a fusion of the external environment with the internal, sensory experience of the occupants. This segment contemplates the paradox of openness and movement in the midst of cold and isolation.

2. The second vignette shifts the setting to a mountain in summer, where the "un-cut grass" and monks with hidden hands evoke a sense of suppressed expression and potential energy. The grass's movement, "bent down and then / stood up as if to speak," mirrors the monks' restrained voices, hinting at the natural world's communicative power and the tension between silence and expression.

3. The imagery of snow entering a small plane illuminates a moment of vulnerability and connection, where "the cold / touched our faces, fists, our hands / found each other." This scene captures the human instinct to seek warmth and companionship in the face of elemental exposure, emphasizing the tactile and the transient.

4. The warmth of "Smell of apples, mug of hot / rum, windows white" contrasts with the external cold, creating a sanctuary of warmth and sustenance. The birth of a child as an emblem of love and continuity ("a child came out / where love went in") juxtaposes the external chill with the warmth of human connection and new beginnings.

5. A more disturbing and intrusive encounter unfolds on the plane, where boundaries are violated under the guise of closeness and protection against the cold. This segment delves into the complexity of human interactions, where intimacy can become a site of transgression, underscored by the resignation "and then I will die," which hints at the inevitability of endings and the acceptance of life's experiences.

6. The poem closes with an invocation of openness, where the sun is envisioned as "a hole / in the gray sky." This image, alongside the "wind unlike the world / as a thing could be," speaks to the search for meaning and connection in the vastness of existence. The organ's swell and the snow's rush across the road bring the narrative full circle, returning to the themes of movement, nature's power, and the divine or sublime that permeates the human experience.

"Wind Chill" is a meditation on the moments that connect us to the world and to each other, the forces that move and shape us, and the delicate balance between warmth and cold, closeness and distance, life and its cessation. Through its rich imagery and emotional depth, Collins invites readers to reflect on the beauty and complexity of existence, the fleeting nature of moments of connection, and the enduring impact of nature's elements on the tapestry of human life.

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