Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Book of Days 18" by Martha Collins weaves a narrative of observation, introspection, and the contemplation of loss and recovery through the seemingly simple motif of a rainy day and a lost cat. The poem captures moments of disconnection and reconnection, both literal and metaphorical, amidst the backdrop of continuous rain, which serves as both setting and symbol.

The opening lines introduce a scene that is at once mundane and suggestive: "The sign taped to the telephone pole / says FOUND something something CAT / something something CALL --" This incomplete message, obscured perhaps by the rain or the passage of time, hints at a story of loss and recovery. The missing details evoke a sense of incompleteness and the universal experience of searching for what is lost.

Collins’s depiction of the rain, "It's still raining," followed by the idiom "Cats and dogs, they'd say, and I'd see the air / slashed with the falling of the bodies," transforms the rainfall into a vivid, almost violent, image of chaos. This metaphorical vision of animals falling from the sky conveys the intensity of the storm but also mirrors the emotional tumult and the sense of being overwhelmed that can accompany loss.

"Found again, as if for the first time," this line encapsulates the poem's heart, exploring themes of rediscovery and renewal. The experience of finding something, whether a lost pet or a piece of oneself, can bring a sense of newness and gratitude, as if seeing it for the first time. This moment of recognition is fleeting, however, as the speaker's disorientation reasserts itself: "That was this afternoon. Now I wake / so inside out I turn on the light / to turn it off to sleep --"

The act of turning on the light to then turn it off captures the speaker's inner turmoil and restlessness, a physical manifestation of the struggle to find peace and clarity amid confusion. This gesture, seemingly simple, underscores the poem's exploration of the spaces between knowing and not knowing, finding and losing.

Collins concludes with the refrain, "It keeps on raining. / It keeps on raining rain." The repetition emphasizes the rain's constancy, serving as a metaphor for life's persistent challenges and uncertainties. Yet, there is also a sense of acceptance in this acknowledgment, a recognition of the rain's necessity for growth and renewal.

"Book of Days 18" is a meditation on the themes of loss, discovery, and the cyclical nature of emotion and experience. Through the lens of a rainy day and a lost cat sign, Collins invites readers to reflect on the moments of disconnection and reconnection that define human experience. The poem's lyrical exploration of these themes, set against the backdrop of continuous rain, offers a poignant reminder of the beauty and complexity of the search for understanding in the midst of life's uncertainties.

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

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...