Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Design" by Billy Collins is a contemplative and evocative poem that weaves together themes of mortality, continuity, and the search for meaning in the cyclical patterns of existence. Through the simple act of drawing a circle in salt on a table, Collins explores the profound and complex concepts that shape human understanding of life, death, and the universe. The poem is both an intimate conversation with the unseen and a philosophical musing on the nature of being.

The initial action of pouring salt and drawing a circle is imbued with ritualistic significance, transforming an ordinary moment into a contemplation of life's cycles. The salt circle becomes a metaphor for various cyclical phenomena: the "cycle of life," "the wheel of fortune," "the Arctic Circle," and more. By invoking these images, Collins underscores the universality of circular motifs across different cultures, histories, and natural phenomena, suggesting an inherent design in the way the world and life operate.

Addressing "no one" and then the "ghosts of my family," Collins bridges the gap between the living and the dead, the tangible and the intangible. This invocation of family ghosts, including "the dead fathers, the aunt who drowned, my unborn brothers and sisters, my unborn children," personalizes the poem, grounding the abstract concept of the circle in the concrete reality of the speaker's lineage and losses. It highlights the circle as a symbol of continuity, connecting generations past, present, and future, despite the individual tragedies that interrupt life's flow.

The mention of "the sun with its glittering spokes and the bitter moon" expands the circle's symbolism to celestial bodies, emphasizing the natural cycles that govern the universe. This cosmic perspective further elevates the poem's meditation on life's design, suggesting a harmony and order that transcends human understanding.

Collins's reference to "the absolute circle of geometry" shifts the focus from the metaphysical to the mathematical, reminding readers of the circle's significance in human knowledge and its attempt to make sense of the world. This line serves as a nod to the precision and beauty found in the natural world's design, which science and mathematics strive to decode.

The poem concludes with the speaker inventing his own wheel, "to roll through the rest of my life," a declaration of agency and creativity in the face of life's uncertainties. Touching his finger to his tongue after drawing the circle symbolizes a sealing of the pact, a personal ritual that acknowledges the power of cycles and circles in guiding the speaker's journey forward.

"Design" captures the essence of Billy Collins's poetic craft: the ability to find depth and universality in everyday actions and to engage with the profound through the accessible. The poem invites readers to ponder their place within the cycles of life and the universe, encouraging a recognition of the patterns and designs that connect us all.

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