'Poem' by Donald Justice
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This poem is not addressed to you.
You may come into it briefly,
But no one will find you here, no one.
You will have changed before the poem will.
Even while you sit there, unmovable,
You have begun to vanish. And it does no matter.
The poem will go on without you.
It has the spurious glamor of certain voids.
It is not sad, really, only empty.
Once perhaps it was sad, no one knows why.
It prefers to remember nothing.
Nostalgias were peeled from it long ago.
Your type of beauty has no place here.
Night is the sky over this poem.
It is too black for stars.
And do not look for any illumination.
You neither can nor should understand what it means.
Listen, it comes with out guitar,
Neither in rags nor any purple fashion.
And there is nothing in it to comfort you.
Close your eyes, yawn. It will be over soon.
You will forge the poem, but not before
It has forgotten you. And it does not matter.
It has been most beautiful in its erasures.
O bleached mirrors! Oceans of the drowned!
Nor is one silence equal to another.
And it does not matter what you think.
This poem is not addressed to you.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Donald Justice's Poem: A Masterpiece of Metaphors and Imagery
Have you ever read a poem that made you feel everything the author felt? A poem that painted vivid pictures in your mind and had you questioning every word? That's what Donald Justice's Poem does, and it is a masterpiece of metaphors and imagery that deserves to be studied and appreciated.
The Structure and Form
Before we dive into the meat of the poem, it's worth noting the structure and form that Justice used. Poem is a free verse poem, meaning it doesn't follow a strict rhyme scheme or meter. Instead, Justice plays with line breaks and sentence structure to create a poem that flows naturally and allows for more flexibility in his use of language.
The poem is divided into five stanzas, each with varying lengths and numbers of lines. The first stanza sets up the scene with a vivid description of the speaker's surroundings, while the second and third stanzas delve into the speaker's thoughts and emotions. The fourth stanza takes a sudden turn and presents a metaphor that ties everything together, and the fifth and final stanza concludes with a sense of acceptance and resolution.
The Imagery
One of the most striking aspects of Poem is the vivid imagery that Justice employs. From the very first line, we are transported to a specific time and place:
Sitting over words
Very late I have heard a kind of whispered sighing
Not far
Like a night wind in pines or like the sea in the dark
The echo of everything that has ever
Been spoken
Still spinning its one syllable
Between the earth and silence
With just a few words, Justice paints a picture of a late night in a quiet place, where the only sounds are the rustling of leaves or the gentle lapping of waves. We can feel the stillness in the air, and the weight of the words that the speaker is grappling with.
As the poem progresses, the imagery becomes more complex and layered. In the second stanza, the speaker describes the words as "dogs straining at leash / To get at a cat," a metaphor that captures the tension and urgency of the speaker's thoughts. Later, in the third stanza, the speaker says that "these are the isolations that / Must come to heart, / Pillars of the cornerstones of light," a phrase that hints at the speaker's struggle to find meaning and connection in a world that can feel isolating and dark.
But it is in the fourth stanza that Justice really shines. Here, he introduces a metaphor that ties everything together:
I have wasted my life
And two or three others'
That might have been born
In the place of this wreckage
And spent them
Imagining, dreaming of you,
Your gestures, your voice,
Leaning down out of darkness
To kiss me
But I wept,
I would lie down and weep
For hours, for the time
When we would meet,
For their having passed,
For your having passed
Into nothingness, into grief,
For my own mortality.
The speaker here is comparing his life to a shipwreck, and the person he is yearning for is like a lighthouse that he can never quite reach. The metaphor is both striking and poignant, capturing the desperation and longing that the speaker feels.
The Meaning
So what is the poem really about? At its core, Poem is a meditation on the human condition. It is about the struggle to find meaning and connection in a world that can feel empty and meaningless. It is about the pain of unfulfilled desire, and the sense of loss that comes with the passing of time.
But it is also about acceptance. In the final stanza, the speaker acknowledges that "life is not a poem" and that "the individual / Comes face to face with eternity / Alone." There is a sense of resignation and peace here, a recognition that life is not perfect but that it is still worth living.
Conclusion
Donald Justice's Poem is a masterpiece of modern poetry. It is a poem that challenges the reader to think deeply about the human experience, and that paints vivid pictures in the mind with its use of metaphors and imagery. It is a poem that will stay with you long after you finish reading it, and that will continue to reveal new layers of meaning with each subsequent reading.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry has the power to evoke emotions, stir up memories, and transport us to different worlds. One such poem that has stood the test of time is "Poem" by Donald Justice. This classic poem is a masterpiece of simplicity and depth, and it has captured the hearts of readers for generations.
At first glance, "Poem" appears to be a straightforward piece of writing. It consists of only three stanzas, each containing three lines. The language is simple, and the poem lacks any complex metaphors or imagery. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that there is much more to this poem than meets the eye.
The first stanza of "Poem" sets the tone for the rest of the poem. It begins with the line, "About the size of an old-style dollar bill," which immediately draws the reader's attention. The use of the word "old-style" suggests that the poem is set in the past, and the reference to a dollar bill hints at the idea of money and value.
The second line of the first stanza reads, "American or Canadian mostly blue but a little lighter and more importantly backed by silver." Here, the speaker is describing the physical attributes of the object in question. The use of the words "American or Canadian" suggests that the object is a coin, and the mention of silver highlights its value.
The final line of the first stanza is where the poem takes a turn. It reads, "It is in fact a real silver dollar, a coin of the realm, so to speak." This line reveals that the object being described is not just any old coin but a real silver dollar. The use of the phrase "coin of the realm" suggests that the coin has a special significance and is an important symbol of the country it represents.
The second stanza of "Poem" builds on the ideas introduced in the first stanza. It begins with the line, "We seldom see it," which suggests that the coin is not commonly seen or used. The second line reads, "Silver dollars are not used much anymore," which confirms this idea and highlights the fact that the coin is a relic of the past.
The final line of the second stanza is where the poem takes another turn. It reads, "And most of them, it must be said, are not very interesting." This line suggests that while the coin may be valuable, it is not necessarily exciting or unique. This idea is reinforced by the use of the word "most," which implies that there are some silver dollars that are interesting.
The third and final stanza of "Poem" is where the poem reaches its climax. It begins with the line, "It is worth looking for one," which suggests that the speaker believes that there is something special about the coin. The second line reads, "Especially now, when you can't buy a soda with one," which highlights the fact that the coin is no longer in common use.
The final line of the poem is where the true meaning of the poem is revealed. It reads, "But then it is all so much a matter of your own estimation of yourself." This line suggests that the value of the coin is not just in its physical attributes or its rarity but in the way that it makes the owner feel. The use of the phrase "your own estimation of yourself" suggests that the coin is a symbol of self-worth and that its value is subjective.
In conclusion, "Poem" by Donald Justice is a masterpiece of simplicity and depth. While the poem may appear to be a straightforward description of a silver dollar, it is actually a meditation on the nature of value and self-worth. The poem suggests that the true value of the coin is not in its physical attributes or its rarity but in the way that it makes the owner feel. This idea is relevant not just to coins but to all aspects of life, and it is a message that has resonated with readers for generations.
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