On this Very Street in Belgrade
This poem strikes the reader in the heart, giving a poignant and pathetic presentation of a street in Belgrade, and the quality of life there. Belgrade was attacked and bombed during both World War I and World War II, and so 'the smoking ruins of a building,' perhaps refers to the aftermath of an attack such as this. As the speaker, creating a second person singular narrative, says, 'Where you now stood years later,' it gives a sense of reminiscence and loss, as the 'smoking ruins,' described using a sensory adjective, 'smoking,' depicts a destroyed home. The tone of this poem is melancholic and sad, as the reader feels a sense of loss on the part of the subject of this poem. The simile, 'Like a doll bundled in burnt rags,' which is emphasised by alliteration, portrays an image of a young child, perhaps a girl, being taken from danger. However, a doll is often fragile and lifeless, creating a sense of loss surrounding this child's home and normality of life. The child's lifeless stare deserves sympathy and the Simic evokes empathy on the part of the reader, as they try to imagine this life for a child.
As the poem progresses, assuming the chid is a lot older, they revisit 'this very street in Belgrade. 'Talking to a homeless dog,' is an action reflecting on the condition of the child after the destruction of their house. They too were once homeless in a moment, and so the deep connection between the dog and the subject of the poem relays a feeling of longing to help. The dog is described as 'half-hidden behind a parked car,' showing its tender and tentative nature when approaching humans. Perhaps it has been maltreated, or the cruelty of some of humanity has made an impression on it, such as it has made an impression on the subject of the poem. They have both experienced loss, most likely at the hand sof another human being. The most emotive and heart-breaking part of the poem is the ending, when the reader discovers the true feelings of the dog. When it says, 'His eyes brimming with hope / As he inched forward, ready for the worst,' there is a possibility to interpret two equally disconcerting meanings. The first is that the dog is able to hope for something better in his life, but that he is prepared for and expects there to be cruel repercussions. This may be due to the behavior of humans towards him before. However, this phrase may also evoke a much darker, underlying meaning, as perhaps the dogs hope is in 'the worst.' He may expect to be cruelly treated and hopes this will end his life, freeing him from suffering in the future.
Autumn Sky
This poem surges with references to time, creating a nostalgic tone, and an almost dream-like state. The opening lines, 'In my great grandmother's time / All one needed was a broom,' give a melancholic and idealised look at the past as a better time, when things were simpler. However, the image of 'a broom,' seems fictitious and is usually associated with witches, which one might expect to give a slightly darker tone to the poem, but actually seems to make it more playful and slightly more nostalgic. Travel and exploration seem to be at the forefront of the poem, as the goal of these flying adventures was, 'to get to see places / And give the geese a chase in the sky.' The readers feels a sense of child-like imagination reading this poem, bringing charm and pleasure to reminiscing on past times.
The personification of the stars in the second stanza, in 'The stars know everything / So we try to read their minds,' is again mystical and full of fantasy, but curiously has an element of truth, in that the stars are a symbol of constance throughout time, and represent a link between the time of the speaker's great grandmother and theirs. The creation of a child-like fantasy is continued in the caution of the speaker, in 'As distant as they are, We choose to whisper in their presence.' The inclusive first person plural pronoun, 'we,' and the onomatopoeia of 'whisper,' give ense of secrecy in this nostalgic game, but also may be representing a wider need to be careful what you say and to whom you say it.
The exclamation, 'Oh Cynthia,' reveals a character to us, someone as yet unidentified. This is curious, and allows the reader to question the speaker's identity, the sky's identity and the possibility of another character. The next lines using imperative language, are considering the possibility of time continuing, pausing and passing. The demand, 'Take a clock that has lost its hands / For a ride,' considers time that does not pass, because it has no measurement, but could also represent the desire to allow time to pass without focussing on it, or recording and watching the minutes go by. The imperative, 'Get me a room at Hotel Eternity / Where Time likes to stop now and then,' shows the speakers desire to be removed from the constraints of time itself. However, the very phrase 'now and then,' requires time in itself, as these moments do not exist without time. Therefore, this part of the poem is startlingly confusing and creates a cohesion of time outside time that is rather incomprehensible.
In the final stanza, the reader hears the voice of the sky, who invites, 'lovers of dark corners,' to, 'sit in one of [its] dark corners.' There does not appear to be an obvious meaning to this in connection with time, but the personification of the sky and repetition of 'dark corners,' suggests an invite of escapism. Corners are the very edge of an environment and can be tight and enclosing, whilst the darkness covers a multitude of things. The dark is also when the stars tend to appear, so perhaps this is a reference to the second stanza, inviting conversation in the earshot of the stars.
Finally, the sentence, 'There are tasty little zeroes / In the peanut dish tonight,' is perhaps a metaphor for a sense of nothing that is desired by the speaker. It is a possibility that whatever the peanuts and zeroes represent, that it is desirable to the speaker, but it also seems quite shady, and creates and uncomfortable tone for the reader. There seems to ba a social aspet to nibbling on peanuts also, which may concurr with the previous idea that conversation with the stars is an option. The fact the title is 'Autumn Sky,' places this poem in a particular season, which represents change and the growth of newness, and therefore the theme of time may be considered as a comment on change and growing older.
This Morning
'This Morning,' is a beautiful poem set in a small space of time, the morning, whilst reminiscing on the night before, and contemplating a relationship and love that seems to have a history lasting longer than both. The ant is a steady symbol of comfort and communication, allowing the speaker to vent any comment or thoughts they have, without judgement or interruption. The opening line, 'Enter without knocking, hard-working ant,' seems like an obvious invite, as an ant does not knock and goes where it likes. However, this invite humanises the ant as a companion, someone who walks straight into their friends house without having to knock. The rhetorical question, 'I'm just sitting here mulling over / What to do this dark, overcast day?' which is emphasised by aliteration, involves the ant in a two-way conversation, yet he is a silent participant and cannot reply. The 'dark, overcast day,' seems dreary and disheartening, and represents the depressive mood of the speaker. This is further suggested through the revelations, 'It was a night of the radio turned down low,' a symbol of comfort and effort for company when alone at night, and 'fitful sleep, vague, troubling dreams.' The speaker is clearly suffering from some depressing moods, perhaps loneliness as the reader hears he is 'lovesick,' as well as 'confused.'
With the revelation, 'I thought I heard Estella in the garden singing / And some bird answering her,' the sense of loss and hallucination in missing this woman is clearly portrayed, and the disappointment in this fantasy figure not being the beloved Estella is emphasised in the blunt, monosyllabic phrase, 'But it was the rain.' The contrast between the sweet singing of Estella and the bird, and the rhythmic pulse of the rain is evident, and so the thought of hearing Estella seems strange and almost hopeful. The 'dark tree tops swaying / And whispering,' represent the mood of the speaker, who is overshadowed and controlled by this depressing loneliness and loss. When he revels his indirect speech '"Come to me my desire," I said,' the reader hears the want and need in his voice as he yearns for his Estella. His desire is granted through his dream, which is integrated in the reality of the poem, but is clearly an illusion to the reader when following his previous conversation with the ant. The vivid, sensory descriptions of Estella, including 'her breath smelling of mint, her tongue / Wetting my cheek,' place the reader in the presence of Estella, and give an image of love and subtle passion, yet the phrase, 'and then she vanished,' takes her from the reader's sight, as she is from the speaker's sight.
The 'gray streak of daylight,' seems ironic, as the colour, 'gray,' is the opposite of 'daylight,' however, it represents a streak of comfort and a new day in the speaker's life. When he reveals he is to 'bathe [his] hands and face in,' it, it is almost like a decision to wash his hands of this Estella and attempt to move on as the day moves out of the night. After this, there is a picture given again of the ant being a companion, as the tone seems to change with the phrase, 'then you crawled / Under the door, and stopped before me.' The presence of the ant is a new prospect for the speaker, almost a replacement for Estella.
The comment, 'You visit the same tailors the mourners do, Mr. Ant,' gives the speaker's companion and identity, a gender and an heir of nobility with the title, 'Mr,' yet also reveals the blackness of its coat and body, dressed as if for a funeral. The silence of the ant is also show in this phrase, as mourners tend to be sad and introverted in their tailors when mourning the loss of someone they love, and preparing for the funeral. The speaker states, 'I like the silence between us, / The quiet--that hoy state even the rain / Knows about.' This presents the comfort of silent listening on the ant's part and the rain, which falls, 'as if with eyes closed, / Muting each drop in her wild-beating heart,' a simile, comforts the speaker by ceasing to resemble his sweetheart's voice and instead closes her eyes with respect for the speaker's loss.
