Sleeplessness - “As a Child, Sleepless”
Insomnia initiates unnerving edginess. Snodgrass writes, “Clamp the arm tight against the head/ To hush that whisper in the nose/The Click if lips slip open. Cover/Over this face and for; disguise.” The tenseness that manifests due to insomnia is replicated in the fretful arms, the imaginary nose voices, exposed lips and the obscure face.
Qui vive - “Nightwatchman's Song”
The night-watchman sings, “So we streak from bad to worse, /Through an expanding universe/ And see no evil. /On my rounds like a night nurse /Or sentry on qui vive.” Here, "qui vive" signifies the watchman’s escalated alertness at night. The watchman must be vigilant throughout the night because he is on duty.
The Forbidden Fruit -“Nightwatchman's Song”
The nightwatchman wonders, “What’s obscene?—just our obsessed, /Incessant itch and interest/ In things found frightful:/In bestial tortures, rape, incest;/ In ripe forbidden fruit.” The forbidden fruit embodies impermissible events that transpire at night. The darkness at night camouflages all the illicit engagements that would be frowned upon if they were to emerge during the day.
April Inventory - “April Inventory”
“April Inventory” presents a business-like association between nature and spring. Spring supplies the blessings of greenness and white blossoms that revamp nature. The spring restocks the stock that was exhausted during the winter.
