Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Faith" by David Baker is a deeply moving exploration of illness, communal support, and the poignant intersection of hope and helplessness that often accompanies the vigil of a loved one's decline. Through subtle imagery and a careful attention to the rhythms of a day marked by waiting and watching, Baker captures the complex tapestry of emotions surrounding a communal gathering in the face of individual suffering.

The poem opens with a disorienting sense of time lost—"It was midday before we noticed it was morning"—immediately setting the tone for a narrative that unfolds in the shadow of something profound and unsettling. The arrival of the boy cousins with a tray of food and comfort items for the fevered individual is a testament to the ways in which communities come together in times of need, offering support through simple, yet deeply meaningful, acts of kindness. Their hesitation to enter, standing "like woodwork inside the door frame," suggests a reverence for the space of illness and a recognition of the solemnity of the moment.

As the day progresses, Baker describes "the old procession" of visitors, a silent parade of those who come to pay their respects, to offer their presence as a balm, even when words fail and the efficacy of their actions feels uncertain. The description of their movements—"floating to the bed and back / with a touching of hands like humming"—captures the tender attempts to connect with and comfort the afflicted, even as "the one we gathered for" seems to slip further away.

The central figure of the poem, the one suffering, is depicted as isolated in her struggle—"She lay in her shadow. / She looked to no one." This isolation is contrasted with the vibrant life outside her window, where "daylilies bobbed wide / open out in the wild, blue sun" and a persistent bee seeks to penetrate the barrier between the interior gloom and the exterior brightness. The bee's futile attempts to reach the flowers through the window serve as a powerful metaphor for the barriers that illness erects between the individual and the world, as well as the inherent human desire to bridge that divide, to connect, to heal.

The closing image of the boys and others watching the bee at dusk is laden with symbolism. It reflects the human tendency to look for signs, for wonders, even in the face of inevitable outcomes. The act of watching together also speaks to the communal aspect of faith—not just religious faith, but faith in the power of presence, in the small acts of caring that define our humanity in the face of suffering and loss.

"Faith" is a testament to the quiet strength found in communal bonds during times of crisis, and the ways in which we seek to navigate the spaces between hope and acceptance, action and resignation. Baker's poem offers a poignant reflection on the nature of caring, the inevitability of loss, and the small, yet significant, gestures that imbue our most challenging moments with grace and meaning.

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