Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marie Howe’s "Dream" is a brief yet deeply evocative meditation on death, grief, and the desire for surrender. Structured as a narrative within a dream, the poem moves from an act of farewell to an intimate revelation, suggesting that the speaker’s mourning is not only for her father but also for herself.

The poem begins with a ritualistic image: "I laid my father’s body down in a narrow boat and sent him off along the riverbank with its cattails and grasses." This act echoes ancient burial rites, particularly those of the Vikings or the Egyptians, where the deceased is placed in a vessel and sent down the river toward the afterlife. The setting—the "narrow boat," the "riverbank," the *"cattails and grasses"—*is serene, evoking the natural world?s quiet participation in the departure. The imagery suggests a peaceful passing, a release into something beyond human control.

The next line, "And the boat—it was made of bark and wood bent when it was wet—took him to his burial finally," adds texture to the scene. The detail that the boat is crafted from "bark and wood bent when it was wet" emphasizes its organic nature, reinforcing the idea of return: the father, like the materials of the boat, is part of the earth and is returning to it. The word "finally" conveys a sense of relief or inevitability, as though the father’s burial had been long-awaited.

Then comes the shift that deepens the poem’s emotional resonance: "But a day or two later I realized it was my self I wanted to lay down, hands crossed, eyes closed." This realization reframes the initial image—what seemed to be an act of mourning for another becomes a reflection of the speaker’s own yearning for rest or release. The ritual is no longer external but internal. The gesture of "hands crossed, eyes closed" suggests a position of peace, a surrender that is both physical and spiritual.

The final lines introduce a sensory awakening: "Oh, the light coming up from down there, the sweet smell of the water—and finally, the sense of being carried by a current I could not name or change." Here, the poem shifts into something almost mystical. The "light coming up from down there" reverses conventional imagery—typically, light descends from above, but in this vision, illumination rises from beneath, suggesting an unknown or unexpected source of comfort. The "sweet smell of the water" reinforces this gentle allure, as though the river, often symbolic of transition, offers solace rather than fear.

The last phrase—"the sense of being carried by a current I could not name or change"—is the poem’s most striking moment. It articulates both powerlessness and acceptance, the recognition of a force greater than the self. The inability to "name or change" the current suggests a surrender to what is beyond control—whether it be grief, fate, or the movement of time itself.

Ultimately, "Dream" is not just a vision of death but a meditation on the desire to let go, to be carried rather than to struggle. The speaker?s grief for her father merges with a deeper longing for release, yet the poem remains suspended in the moment of that realization, leaving the reader with the sensation of floating between resignation and peace.

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