Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Collection Day" by Natasha Trethewey, the reader is immediately immersed into the domestic sphere of a family, its daily routines, and the inevitable interactions that come with it. The poem dives deep into a Saturday cleaning spree set to the tunes of Motown music, painting a vivid image of domesticity in a specific cultural and temporal setting. The routine of cleaning the house transforms into a sacred family ritual, set against the soundtrack of Motown classics, enhancing the daily chore with a feeling of nostalgia and comfort. The phonograph, window fans, and the "spiral groove" are all emblematic of a different era, yet they still echo the universal notion of home.

The poem deftly navigates between the seemingly mundane and the existential. As they sort through "washtubs of boiled-white linens" and prepare "lima beans soaking, green as luck," the family is also contending with the larger question of mortality. The "trash heaped out back for burning" symbolizes not just physical waste, but everything that cannot be salvaged, not even by "thread or glue." It serves as a poignant metaphor for life's ephemeral nature and the ultimate need for something permanent.

The presence of the insurance man and the calendar with "PREMIUM DUE" serve as reminders of this temporality. His black suits "worn to a shine" echo a sense of formality and inevitability, contrasting sharply with the domestic, informal setting. He represents a constant in their lives, his monthly visits measuring the passage of time, not just in days, but in the gradual realization of life's fleeting nature. He shows them "photos of our tiny plot," reiterating that death is a universal leveller, and the only thing we finally own is a "patch of earth, view of sky." The repetition of the word "fine" as in "coming up fine" highlights the incongruity of talking about a burial plot as though it were an investment in life.

The specific mention of the year "June 1969" lends the poem a historical context. Amid the civil rights movement, Vietnam War, and other defining events of the 1960s, the subject of life insurance and interment must have had a particular resonance, especially for Black families. The poem does not shy away from this dimension, subtly pointing out the necessity and perhaps the luxury of having something as trivial as a "tiny plot" to call one's own in a world of uncertainty.

Through keen observations of a single day, Trethewey manages to elevate the everyday to the symbolic, capturing the range of emotions and thoughts that accompany the concept of permanence in an ever-changing world. It forces the reader to reflect upon what it means to own something, to belong, and to reconcile with mortality while navigating the course of an ordinary life. "Collection Day" succeeds in turning a quotidian experience into an evocative tableau of life, both in its fleeting moments and its existential concerns.

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