Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's poem "Like, I Really Like That" captures a unique and imaginative fusion of nature, art, and human experience, utilizing the perspective of the speaker to weave a narrative that is at once whimsical and reflective.

Set high on a mountain, the poem begins with Beverley’s quiet words, which are almost lost amidst the natural surroundings as spring starts to thaw the snow. This scene, although an unusual setting for the premiere of a play, is significant for Beverley who envisions the mountain as a dynamic entity in the plot’s unfolding, foreseeing its erosion and transformation as part of the narrative’s backdrop.

Jon’s interjection, “I don’t know anything about it, but I know what I like,” underscores a common human sentiment—an instinctual response to art that transcends intellectual understanding. Beverley’s play, titled "Beautiful Human Life," embodies this interplay of nature and humanity, as it navigates through diverse landscapes from pine trees to palmettos, symbolizing the planet’s varied terrains where human life unfolds in its multifaceted ways.

The speaker, meanwhile, offers a contemplative digression on the heart, comparing it to a treadmill in an Escher drawing. This analogy highlights the cyclical nature of human experience—moving through changing rooms yet uncertain of progression or return, reflecting the fluidity of memory and perspective.

As Beverley’s play reaches its climax, the chorus’s energetic singing, adorned in rabbit hair and silk, celebrates the advent of spring with fervent praise for the “great goat of spring.” The fervor of their performance is so intense that it seemingly catalyzes an avalanche, propelling the audience into a dizzying descent down the mountain. This tumultuous ride, with its ever-accelerating pace and the blurred vision of green trees and cold wind, mirrors the unpredictability and uncontrollable momentum of life itself.

In a decisive twist, Beverley, recognizing the disastrous trajectory, halts the metaphorical and literal slide with an assertive call to abandon the trope and the perilous slope. Her tambourine becomes a symbol of reclaiming control, and the animals—badgers and marmots—lining the path with their lanterns, join in the collective beat, transforming chaos into a harmonious rhythm. The imagery of these creatures swinging their lights and the hill rocking to the chorus’s song evokes a sense of unity and shared celebration, turning what could have been a calamitous descent into a communal festivity.

Wilner’s poem deftly juxtaposes the serene and the tumultuous, blending the natural and the theatrical to explore themes of perspective, memory, and the power of collective human and natural resilience. Through Beverley’s play and the surrounding mountain landscape, the poem invites readers to reflect on the beauty and unpredictability of human life, the importance of perspective, and the potential for art and nature to converge in creating moments of profound connection and transformation.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...