Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Bar Time" by Billy Collins presents a contemplative reflection on the peculiar notion of time within the sanctuary of a bar, juxtaposed against the relentless march of time in the external world. This poem encapsulates the feeling of temporary escape and detachment that such places offer, where time seems to operate on its own terms, creating a buffer from the immediacy of life's pressures. Collins uses the setting of the bar, with its deliberately misaligned clock, as a metaphor for the human desire to step out of time's flow, if only momentarily.

The poem begins by acknowledging a common practice in bars: setting the clock ahead by fifteen minutes. This simple act transforms the bar into a space that exists "in the unknown future," a place where patrons can imagine themselves as ahead of their troubles and the external world. This manipulation of time creates a psychological sanctuary for the drinkers, a place where the present's worries are momentarily suspended, allowing them a semblance of peace and detachment.

Collins humorously notes that this temporal shift positions the bar's patrons as "a rather advanced group," a clever play on the notion of being temporally ahead, while also hinting at the irony of seeking advancement in life through the act of drinking. This advanced status is not one of technological or societal progress but of a personal and collective retreat into a space where time's grip is loosened.

The pleasures found in this displaced time are described as "thoughtless," emphasizing the escapism that drinking and smoking offer from the demands of reflective or productive engagement with the present. The poet's attention to the "small fire of a cigarette" and the "cold rust" of whiskey highlights the sensory experiences that become magnified in this altered state, where time and its accompanying responsibilities are momentarily irrelevant.

Collins extends the metaphor by contrasting the bar's insulated temporal bubble with "Ordinary Time," personified as a figure "slouching past in a topcoat," drenched by rain. This depiction of time as a weary passerby, with "the late edition like a flag in his pocket," underscores the relentless, often dreary march of the external world's concerns. The bar, in its defiance of ordinary time, offers a refuge from this relentless progression, a place where time's weight is lifted, and its inhabitants can bask in the illusion of being a step removed from the demands of reality.

"Bar Time" thus explores the human desire for reprieve from the inexorable advance of time and the burdens it carries. Through the lens of a bar's unconventional timekeeping, Collins reflects on the broader existential quest for moments of peace and detachment in a world that often feels overwhelmingly bound by time's dictates. The poem is a meditation on the small rebellions and retreats that people seek in their pursuit of solace, a poetic contemplation of time, escape, and the ephemeral nature of relief found in the bottom of a glass or the glow of a cigarette.

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