Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Noise Grimaced" by Larry Eigner is a poem that captures the sensory experiences and emotional resonances tied to environmental phenomena such as noise, light, and weather. Eigner's distinctive style, marked by an attentive eye to spatial arrangement and syntactical economy, enriches the poem's exploration of how external forces impact internal states.

The poem opens with the line "Noise grimaced," personifying noise as something that contorts or distorts, setting a tone of discomfort or intrusion. This introduction creates an immediate sense of tension, suggesting an aggressive or unwelcome presence.

Following this, "we took pleasure in the heavens / the close sky" contrasts sharply with the opening, introducing a sense of awe or respite found in the vastness of the sky. This pleasure, however, is tinged with the recognition of its unattainability—"although we knew we could not have seen it." This line hints at a philosophical or existential barrier, perhaps the limitations of human perception or the fleeting nature of sublime experiences.

The imagery of a flash "expanding the light up the beds and walls at once dying, leaving the star distant" vividly captures a moment of intense, ephemeral brightness that fades quickly, leaving only a distant star in its wake. This could symbolize transient moments of clarity or understanding that are quickly overshadowed by the vast, unknowable universe.

Eigner reflects on the pervasiveness of seasonal heat as akin to "a room's still air," suggesting a stifling, omnipresent force that envelops and defines the environment. The personal intrusion of this force is felt in the peculiar sensation of hearing one's ears click, an intimate and unsettling reminder of the body's vulnerability to external elements.

The poem shifts to consider the passage of time—"Another moment / Day passing or beside it, out of the corners of the eyes"—emphasizing the peripheral, often unnoticed movement of time and its subtle yet persistent impact on our lives.

Eigner then delves into the nature of rain and wind. He describes rain as a forest, an image that conveys its density and life-sustaining qualities, in contrast to wind, which is "too light for a sea" and unable to quench the skin's thirst for moisture. This metaphorical exploration highlights the distinct but overlapping sensory effects of different types of weather.

The poem concludes with reflections on inevitability and mortality, acknowledging that changes in weather—rain, hail—mirror life's unpredictability and the ultimate certainty of death. The final lines, "gripping the shoulders / before or after our deaths," suggest a physical and existential confrontation with these forces, emphasizing the human need to grapple with both the immediate sensations and the larger, existential conditions of life.

Overall, "Noise Grimaced" by Larry Eigner is a complex meditation on perception, nature, and existence, using the immediacy of sensory experiences as a gateway to explore deeper philosophical themes. Through his unique poetic form, Eigner invites readers to consider how external environments shape our internal experiences and existential reflections.

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