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TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS', by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography

"Teach Us to Number Our Days" by Rita Dove presents a vivid and somber reflection on urban life, mortality, and the stifling effects of a harsh environment on the dreams and lives of its inhabitants. Through sharp imagery and metaphorical language, Dove explores the impact of violence and decay on the community and the individual's psyche.

The poem begins by setting a scene in "the old neighborhood," where the presence of multiple funeral parlors, each "more elaborate than the last," suggests a community frequently touched by death and loss. This focus on funeral parlors not only highlights the prevalence of mortality but also implies a competition or a perverse form of pride in the display of grief, signaling how deeply death is ingrained in the fabric of this community.

The alleys, scented with the presence of law enforcement ("smell of cops"), where pistols bump against thighs, introduce a palpable sense of tension and danger. The imagery of each gun chamber being "steeled with a slim blue bullet" adds to this atmosphere, painting a picture of readiness and constant threat that looms over the neighborhood.

The juxtaposition of "Low-rent balconies stacked to the sky" against a boy playing tic-tac-toe and dreaming about swallowing a blue bean introduces a stark contrast between the oppressive environment and the innocent, even whimsical, imagination of a child. The bean taking root in the boy’s gut and sprouting vines that lock around his eye sockets powerfully symbolizes how the environment can infiltrate and ultimately suffocate the aspirations and perceptions of its youth.

Dove further intensifies this image with the metaphor of the sky "knotting like a dark tie," suggesting a tightening noose or a formal, oppressive force that constricts and controls. The mention of a patroller holding "all the beans" metaphorically speaks to power dynamics within the community, where authority figures control the fate and opportunities (or lack thereof) available to the residents, particularly the youth.

The final lines, mentioning the nodding mums, each "a prickly heart on a sleeve," evoke a sense of resigned acknowledgment of the ongoing sorrow. The mums, typically flowers associated with funerals and mourning, personify the community’s worn and exposed grief, enduring yet vulnerable.

Overall, "Teach Us to Number Our Days" is a poignant meditation on the effects of a harsh urban environment on its inhabitants, particularly the young. Rita Dove uses the imagery of encroaching vines, darkening skies, and omnipresent death to evoke a sense of inevitable doom that hangs over the neighborhood, shaping its days and its futures. The title itself, drawn from Psalm 90:12, serves as a call for mindfulness and wisdom in the face of transience, urging an awareness of life’s brevity amidst the harsh realities of the urban landscape.

POEM TEXT: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43357/teach-us-to-number-our-days


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