Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Donald Justice's poem "Thinking About the Past" captures the poet's nostalgic reflection on moments that remain vivid and unchangeable despite the passage of time. The poem reads like a series of snapshots, each line evoking a specific memory or image that has left an indelible mark on the poet's consciousness. These moments, although seemingly disparate, are unified by their persistent presence in the poet's mind, forming a cohesive mosaic of the past.

The opening lines, "Certain moments will never change, nor stop being— / My mother's face all smiles, all wrinkles soon," set the tone for the poem, emphasizing the permanence of memory. The juxtaposition of "all smiles" and "all wrinkles soon" underscores the passage of time and the inevitable aging process, yet the mother's face remains a constant, enduring image in the poet's memory.

The mention of the "rock wall building, built, collapsed then, fallen" serves as a metaphor for the cycles of construction and decay that characterize both physical structures and human experiences. This image of the rock wall, from its creation to its eventual collapse, reflects the impermanence of material things and the inexorable march of time.

In the line "Our upright loosening downward slowly out of tune," the poet uses the metaphor of a piano to illustrate the gradual decline and detuning that comes with age. This image resonates with the idea that just as pianos need constant tuning to maintain their harmony, so too do human lives require ongoing care to stay in tune with the world around them.

The poem then shifts to more personal and intimate memories, such as "That red-haired girl with wide mouth—Eleanor— / Forgotten thirty years—her freckled shoulders, hands." Here, Justice captures the fleeting yet enduring nature of youthful infatuations and physical attractions, which, despite being long forgotten, resurface vividly in moments of reflection.

The mention of "The breast of Mary Something, freed from a white swimsuit, / Damp, sandy, warm; or Margery's, a small, caught bird" brings forth sensual memories, evoking the tactile and ephemeral nature of physical encounters. The imagery of the "small, caught bird" suggests a sense of vulnerability and fleeting beauty, further emphasizing the transient nature of such moments.

Justice continues to weave together sensory experiences with lines like "O marvelous early cigarettes! O bitter smoke, Benton... / And Kenny in wartime whites, crisp, cocky," which evoke the taste and texture of the past. The reference to "early cigarettes" and "bitter smoke" brings a sense of youthful rebellion and the bittersweet taste of nostalgia. The image of "Kenny in wartime whites" captures a moment of youthful bravado and the looming shadow of failure, highlighting the contrasts between past aspirations and present realities.

The poem concludes with a series of images that evoke the passage of time and the cyclical nature of life: "Dusks, dawns; waves; the ends of songs..." These lines encapsulate the ebb and flow of time, the repetitive yet unique nature of each day, and the transient beauty of music. The ellipsis at the end of the poem suggests an ongoing, unfinished reflection, as if the poet's thoughts about the past continue to evolve and resonate.

In "Thinking About the Past," Donald Justice masterfully captures the complexity of memory, blending moments of joy, sorrow, love, and loss into a rich tapestry. The poem underscores the idea that while time moves inexorably forward, certain memories remain fixed, serving as anchors that connect us to our past and shape our understanding of the present.

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