"A light catches somewhere, finds human spirit to burn on...it dwells: slowly the light, its veracity unshaken, dies but moves to find a place to break out elsewhere; this light, tendance, neglect is human concern working with what is." - A. R. Ammons
Monday, October 22, 2012
Breathe
The hardest part to remember is that it never goes away. Not really anyway.
Regardless we can't treat it wrong make it dead make it red
Thank you for posting! The first thing I notice about this poem is its symmetrical use of stanza: the poem is written in three stanzas of equal line length. As a result, the entire structure appears well-balanced and focused on the page. It would seem to me, that the poem begins by taking us directly into the speaker’s thoughts and voice: “The hardest part to remember/ is that it never goes away” (1-2). These lines appear to be a statement of fact on behalf of the speaker. It is interesting that the poem begins with such a hard declaration; the statement also appears as a confession, in this manner of honesty.
At first, I wonder what the “it” (2) we see truly is. I see the main title of the poem, “Breathe,” so it’s also reasonable to assume the speaker is discussing the concept of breath and life, and that it is breath that becomes a difficult thing to “remember” (1), and “that it never goes away” (2) because breathing is an autonomous function of the body. If this is so, I think the poem is a unique contemplation of breath in association to the human body. I think the “it” could also be representative of the fluctuation of oxygen in fire, that it takes just enough air to keep it kindled in its catalytic state but too much and the fire burns in an overpowering manner. With the way the poem appears in its structured state, I think there’s a lot of consideration over balance—with the poem’s content as well. It’s the statement, “Regardless we can’t treat it wrong” (4) that implies this recognition of balance to indicate that just enough air is required for a “flame” (8) to reside without intention of it becoming too disorderly: “make it dead/ make it red” (5-6). This could also be a consideration of the dependability of eternal objects or organisms: “Breath/ Flame/ Forever” (7-9). Breath is an eternal part of the living body and required for existence, while fire also requires a sense of balance and upkeep to exist harmoniously with the environment around it; it’s this recognition of eternity and symmetry that forms the concept of “Forever” (9), and regardless of how harmonious or chaotic, a bit of these will always quietly reside.
There seems to be a lot of contemplation that is linked on the part of the speaker; different nodes of thought contrast and also work together as with the concept of fire, life and recognition. The word “Breathe” holds a big undertone, one that contains various possibilities. I think your title opens the poem up for several things to occur and it is fun to see a concept like this at work. I like the way the end of your poem expectedly resides, like the notion of a consistent flame or continual breath in the human body. It’s interesting also, that you chose to capitalize these last three words of your poem and that you managed to create a recognizable acronym in the process: “BFF.” Was this intentional?
I look forward to seeing where the next prompt will take you :) -Tara
Hello Chris,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting! The first thing I notice about this poem is its symmetrical use of stanza: the poem is written in three stanzas of equal line length. As a result, the entire structure appears well-balanced and focused on the page. It would seem to me, that the poem begins by taking us directly into the speaker’s thoughts and voice: “The hardest part to remember/ is that it never goes away” (1-2). These lines appear to be a statement of fact on behalf of the speaker. It is interesting that the poem begins with such a hard declaration; the statement also appears as a confession, in this manner of honesty.
At first, I wonder what the “it” (2) we see truly is. I see the main title of the poem, “Breathe,” so it’s also reasonable to assume the speaker is discussing the concept of breath and life, and that it is breath that becomes a difficult thing to “remember” (1), and “that it never goes away” (2) because breathing is an autonomous function of the body. If this is so, I think the poem is a unique contemplation of breath in association to the human body. I think the “it” could also be representative of the fluctuation of oxygen in fire, that it takes just enough air to keep it kindled in its catalytic state but too much and the fire burns in an overpowering manner. With the way the poem appears in its structured state, I think there’s a lot of consideration over balance—with the poem’s content as well. It’s the statement, “Regardless we can’t treat it wrong” (4) that implies this recognition of balance to indicate that just enough air is required for a “flame” (8) to reside without intention of it becoming too disorderly: “make it dead/ make it red” (5-6). This could also be a consideration of the dependability of eternal objects or organisms: “Breath/ Flame/ Forever” (7-9). Breath is an eternal part of the living body and required for existence, while fire also requires a sense of balance and upkeep to exist harmoniously with the environment around it; it’s this recognition of eternity and symmetry that forms the concept of “Forever” (9), and regardless of how harmonious or chaotic, a bit of these will always quietly reside.
There seems to be a lot of contemplation that is linked on the part of the speaker; different nodes of thought contrast and also work together as with the concept of fire, life and recognition. The word “Breathe” holds a big undertone, one that contains various possibilities. I think your title opens the poem up for several things to occur and it is fun to see a concept like this at work. I like the way the end of your poem expectedly resides, like the notion of a consistent flame or continual breath in the human body. It’s interesting also, that you chose to capitalize these last three words of your poem and that you managed to create a recognizable acronym in the process: “BFF.” Was this intentional?
I look forward to seeing where the next prompt will take you :)
-Tara