Billy Collins is a poet of the quotidian. He avoids the common traps of elitism and intellectualism which often spoil good poetry by keeping himself humble and grounded in the present. To Collins, the complexity of poetry is best suited to the deceptive simplicity of daily life. He writes about what he sees, through the lens of impermanence.
In his more personal poems, Collins writes in a narrative persona about frustrations he feels. "Forgetfulness" is an example of one of his concerns. In this text Collins uses the frightening phenomenon of forgetting things to remind himself and readers that we people will someday, also be forgotten. The value of remembering is that it is only a temporary act. The memory is one of the most elusive of masters.
Collins invites readers into his daily life, even into his living room. "Litany" is a meditation upon the immediate. Each new object within sight is transformed into something valuable and nearly magical in Collin's esteem, just by their sheer familiarity and presence. "Fool Me Good" offers a more direct approach as Collins talks through his desire to be more present for himself and for others. He uses one single moment to make a decision with grand implications for his future.
In these and other poems, Collins offers himself up as a sacrificial lamb to his readers. He is the example of what being human is like. Investing in small moments and simple pleasures, he invites readers into an intentional lifestyle. Collins centers his writing on the present moment, as a defense against the steady and inevitably corrupting passage of time.
