Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Annie Finch’s poem “Moon from the Porch” is a lyrical exploration of the moon as a symbol of femininity, growth, and spiritual connection. The poem unfolds the narrator's personal journey, blending the natural world with themes of womanhood and transformation.

The poem opens with a description of the moon’s ethereal dwelling: “Moon has dusks for walls, / October’s days for a floor, / crickets for rooms, windy halls. / Only one night is her door.” Here, Finch creates a vivid image of the moon’s domain, suggesting that it exists beyond conventional boundaries. The "dusks" and "October’s days" give the moon a temporal dimension, while “crickets for rooms” and “windy halls” add auditory and sensory elements. The final line, “Only one night is her door,” indicates that the moon’s true nature is revealed in a single night, emphasizing its transient beauty.

The second stanza introduces the narrator’s personal connection to the moon: “When I was thirteen she found me, / spiralled into my blood like a hive. / I stood on a porch where she wound me / for the first time, tight and alive.” The moon’s influence is described as “spiralled into my blood like a hive,” suggesting that it infused the narrator with a sense of purpose and energy. The image of the porch adds a sense of groundedness, while “tight and alive” conveys the intensity of this newfound connection.

In the third stanza, the narrator describes the moon's impact on her development: “till my body flooded to find her: / to know I would not be alone / as I moved through the tides that don't bind her / into womanhood, like a flung stone.” Here, Finch uses the metaphor of tides to represent the cycles of womanhood, and the phrase “tides that don’t bind her” implies a sense of freedom and fluidity. The final line, “like a flung stone,” evokes a sense of unstoppable momentum as the narrator embraces her identity.

The fourth stanza highlights the narrator's relationship with the moon as she grows: “With each curve that waxed into fullness / I grew to her, ready and wild. / I filled myself up like her priestess. / I emptied myself like her child.” The moon’s phases are mirrored in the narrator’s own growth, as she becomes both a “priestess” and a “child,” embodying both wisdom and innocence.

The fifth stanza reveals how the narrator has hidden the moon’s presence: “Flooding, ready, and certain, / I hid her—full, fallow, or frail— / beneath each long summer's rich curtain. / It covered her face—the thin grail / that delivers me now.” The moon’s phases (full, fallow, frail) are concealed by “each long summer’s rich curtain,” but despite this, the moon remains a “thin grail / that delivers me now,” suggesting that its influence persists.

In the sixth stanza, the narrator fully embraces the moon: “Now I’m with her. / All cast shadows come home. / I stand in these shadows to kiss her; / I spin in her cool, calming storm.” The moon’s “cool, calming storm” reflects its power and tranquility, and the narrator “stand[s] in these shadows to kiss her,” symbolizing her acceptance of the moon’s influence and the unity between them.

The final stanza is a prayer-like invocation to the moon: “Now as I move through my own beauty / and my shadow grows deeper than blood, / oh triple, oh goddess, sustain me / with your light’s simple opening hood.” Here, the narrator recognizes her own beauty and growth, calling upon the moon as a “triple” goddess, embodying the phases of maiden, mother, and crone. The “light’s simple opening hood” suggests protection and guidance as the narrator continues her journey.

Structurally, the poem is composed of seven quatrains with a regular rhyme scheme, giving it a rhythmic and lyrical quality. The repetition of images and metaphors related to the moon emphasizes the poem’s cyclical and transformative themes.

In summary, “Moon from the Porch” is a richly layered poem that explores the narrator’s spiritual and personal journey through the metaphor of the moon. Annie Finch weaves together themes of femininity, growth, and connection to create a vivid and lyrical meditation on transformation and the enduring influence of the moon.

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