Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Book of Days 11" by Martha Collins is a contemplative poem that explores themes of perception, illumination, and the sensation of being in the world. Through the detailed observation of a late afternoon scene, Collins invites readers into a moment where the mundane transcends into the extraordinary, prompting reflections on the nature of existence and the self. The poem weaves together the external and internal worlds, illuminating the interconnectedness of personal experience with the broader tapestry of life.

The opening lines introduce a scene that is both specific and imbued with a sense of wonder: "Late afternoon, the eight-chimneyed building / across the yard, clock on its gable, / lights up, as if with fire, in every window." This description sets a tone of enchantment, as the ordinary act of lights turning on in a building is transformed into a spectacle reminiscent of fire. The detail of the "eight-chimneyed building" with a "clock on its gable" grounds the scene in physical reality, while the comparison to fire suggests something more ethereal and fleeting.

Collins skillfully contrasts this illuminated building with the natural light of the sky, noting "An excess: the sky is still light, / or almost light," highlighting the juxtaposition between the fading daylight and the artificial light from the building. This interplay between natural and artificial light becomes a central motif, evoking a sense of temporal liminality and the blending of day into night.

The poet's reflection that "I have never felt empty" transitions the poem from the external scene to an introspective exploration. This assertion of never having felt empty, coupled with the memory of feeling "too full" in childhood and sometimes at night, introduces a nuanced contemplation of emotional and existential fullness. This personal revelation deepens the poem's exploration of light and darkness, both literal and metaphorical.

Collins's description of the light as a "stranger light" that is "so different from everything else / it seems the same" captures the paradoxical nature of profound experiences. This light, distinct yet familiar, emblematic yet elusive, becomes a metaphor for moments of epiphany or deep realization that defy conventional understanding yet resonate with an intrinsic truth.

The poem culminates in the imagery of walking "around the world this way, / as if a world were being made --" This suggests a sense of creation, of being present at the genesis of perception and reality. The idea that "Nothing slips through the net, falls from the basket" and "The earth, inside its porous skin, is whole" evokes a sense of completeness and unity, both within the self and in the external world. The imagery of the earth's "porous skin" implies a permeability and connection between the internal and external, the individual and the cosmic.

"Book of Days 11" is a meditation on the moments that bridge the ordinary and the extraordinary, where light serves as both a literal and metaphorical illuminator of life's complexity and beauty. Collins invites readers to consider the fullness of their existence, the light that defines and defies understanding, and the wholeness that resides within and around us. Through keen observation and introspection, the poem celebrates the profound in the everyday, the unity in diversity, and the ever-present potential for renewal and revelation.

POEM TEXT: https://capa.conncoll.edu/collins.space.htm#DAYS

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