Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Book of Days 8" by Martha Collins is a poignant exploration of time, change, and the continuum of life through the lens of a Christmas afternoon. The poem interweaves personal reflection with vivid observations of the environment, capturing a moment of introspection amidst the backdrop of both natural and man-made transformation.

The opening lines, "They've drained the old pond, they're digging it deeper," immediately set a scene of alteration and renewal. This act of draining and deepening the pond serves as a metaphor for the process of revisiting and revising one’s past, making room for new depths of understanding and experience. The description of the landscape, with "Two derricks face each other across the mud, / stumps, rubble, brush," evokes a sense of upheaval and the messy, often chaotic nature of change.

The mention of "an oval of water, wrinkled like skin, / that yesterday was rain" introduces the theme of transformation—water from the sky becoming a part of the landscape, just as experiences accumulate to shape an individual's life. The comparison of the water's surface to wrinkled skin also subtly references the passage of time and its physical manifestations.

The emotional resonance of the poem deepens with the confession, "All right. I cried last night when the choir sang / and almost cried when the brass band played / in the almost April weather of late December." These lines reveal a vulnerability to beauty and a sense of melancholy tied to the season, as well as an acute sensitivity to the environment and its anomalies.

"This morning not the want, but the wanting not" is a powerful expression of desire and its absence, reflecting a complex emotional state where longing is replaced by a yearning for relief from longing itself.

The image of wind chimes chiming "Across the street" and the observation of the three small trees on "the other bank" growing together in human-like forms further underscore the poem's exploration of connection and the interplay between the human and natural worlds. The personification of the trees as a woman "leaning into the wind" conveys a sense of resilience and support within relationships, suggesting the ways in which individuals are shaped by and lean on one another.

Collins's reflection that "Everyone alive in the world is very nearly the same age" speaks to the shared journey of humanity, a reminder of our collective passage through time and the fundamental similarities that bind us, despite our individual experiences.

The closing line, "I am still the baby in that house," is a poignant return to the personal, a declaration of identity and place within the family and the world that resonates with innocence and continuity. This statement captures the essence of the poem—a meditation on the cyclical nature of life, the enduring impact of early experiences, and the complex interweaving of personal and communal histories.

"Book of Days 8" invites readers to reflect on the processes of change and growth, the beauty found in nature and music, and the deep, often contradictory currents of human emotion that flow through the experience of time. Through its rich imagery and introspective tone, Collins offers a narrative that is both specific in its details and universal in its themes, echoing the ongoing dialogue between the self and the ever-changing world.

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

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