Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Several Things" by Martha Collins is a vivid exploration of possibility, inviting the reader into a realm where multiple narratives and sensory experiences converge within the framework of a single poem. Through the introduction of various elements—plums on a pewter plate, a dead red hare, a vase of flowers, shallots, and more—Collins crafts a space where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist, each detail contributing to a tapestry of potential outcomes.

The poem begins with an open-ended proposition: "Several things could happen in this poem." This line sets the stage for an exploration of potentiality, where the mundane and the magical are given equal footing. The mention of plums, a dead hare, and a vase of flowers immediately invokes a rich sensory experience, blending the visual with the tactile and the olfactory. The items listed are not merely objects; they are invitations to imagine a story, to engage with the what-ifs and might-bes that Collins lays before the reader.

As the poem progresses, human elements are introduced—a man singing in a burgundy robe, a woman tossing a gold coin, a stranger offering apples. These characters add depth to the narrative possibilities, each action suggesting a story unfolding, a moment captured in time. The act of the man singing, the untying of a knot, the tossing of a coin—these are all moments pregnant with meaning, hinting at the rich tapestry of human experience that the poem encapsulates.

Collins cleverly uses the conditional mood throughout the poem to underscore the nature of poetry as a space of limitless possibilities. The phrases "It could rain in this poem," "It could snow in this poem," and "Consider: the woman could open the ebony bench" all serve to remind the reader of the transformative power of poetry to reshape reality, to imagine worlds beyond the tangible.

The intertwining of various scenarios—weather changing, the hunter's actions, the woman playing a song—creates a dynamic interplay between the characters and their actions. The poem becomes a living entity, where each line breathes life into a new possibility, a new path that the narrative might take. This is not merely a collection of hypothetical situations; it is a celebration of the imaginative process, a testament to the creative act of constructing meaning from a series of potentially unrelated events.

In the concluding lines, Collins extends a direct invitation to the reader: "Last but not least, you could appear." This gesture breaks the fourth wall, dissolving the barrier between the poem and the reader, suggesting that the act of reading is itself a form of participation in the narrative. The reader is invited to inhabit the poem, to become a character within the unfolding story. This moment of inclusion is a powerful reminder of the collaborative nature of meaning-making in poetry, where the reader's imagination is integral to the realization of the poem's potential.

"Several Things" is a masterful exploration of the fluid boundaries between the real and the imagined, the seen and the unseen, the spoken and the unspoken. Collins invites us to dwell in a space where anything is possible, where the act of imagining is an act of creation. The poem is a celebration of the infinite possibilities that lie within the confines of a single page, a reminder of the power of poetry to open doors to worlds unseen, to lives unlived, to stories untold. Through its intricate weaving of imagery, action, and invitation, "Several Things" becomes a space where the reader is both witness and participant, observer and creator, in the ever-unfolding story of human experience.

POEM TEXT: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=34704

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