Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Shrinking Lonesome Sestina [Starting with Long Lines]" is a poem by Miller Williams, an American poet known for his Southern sensibility and his commitment to social justice. The poem was published in his 1971 collection "The Lattice Inside" and is a modern take on the traditional sestina form.

Explanation:

"Shrinking Lonesome Sestina [Starting with Long Lines]" is a poem that explores the theme of loss and loneliness, using the sestina form to create a sense of repetition and circularity. The poem begins by describing the experience of being alone and feeling small in the face of the vastness of the universe.

The sestina form, consisting of six stanzas of six lines each and a final tercet, creates a sense of repetition and circularity, with each stanza repeating the end-words of the previous stanza in a specific pattern. This creates a sense of structure and order that contrasts with the chaotic emotions of the speaker.

The poem's language is simple and direct, conveying a sense of emotional immediacy and intimacy. The poem's use of imagery - the vastness of the universe, the smallness of the speaker - creates a sense of existential loneliness and isolation.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: Sestina
• Structure: Six stanzas of six lines each and a final tercet, with repeating end-words
• Rhyme: None
• Meter: None
• Imagery: Loneliness, loss, smallness
• Language: Simple and direct
• Tone: Somber and introspective
• Theme: Loss and loneliness

Conclusion:

"Shrinking Lonesome Sestina [Starting with Long Lines]" is a somber and introspective poem that explores the theme of loss and loneliness through the use of the sestina form. Through its use of simple language and vivid imagery, the poem creates a sense of existential isolation and smallness, ultimately inviting the reader to contemplate the vastness of the universe and their place within it.

Poem Snippet:

"The day levels slowly its pale steam,

the geese at the lakehead, barely moving

in clusters that resemble the flux of stars,

are still as distance is still, a fixed concept:

the spruces letting down their heavy hair

do not stir, and the pines are breathing easily."

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