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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Medium" by Billy Collins is a beautifully introspective poem that explores the desire for a more fluid and less constrained form of expression. Through a series of vivid metaphors and comparisons, Collins articulates a yearning to move beyond the traditional medium of paper and ink to write in ways that are more ephemeral, more tactile, and more intimately connected to the essence of creativity itself. The poem becomes a meditation on the nature of artistic expression, the limits of control in the creative process, and the longing for a deeper connection with the reader. The opening lines express dissatisfaction with the "traction" of paper, where ink and words adhere too firmly, suggesting a craving for a medium that allows for greater freedom and less permanence. This sets the stage for a series of imaginative scenarios where writing transcends the physical boundaries of the page to embrace more fluid and transient canvases. Collins imagines himself as a "young Renaissance painter," blending colors on the surface of an oil painting, seeking a form of writing that mimics the gentle persuasion of a brush on canvas. This desire for "the least control" and to "write like a watercolorist" reflects a wish to engage with language and ideas in a way that is less about assertion and more about suggestion, where meanings can blend, shift, and evolve. The metaphor of writing with a ouija board's "stilted, wooden pointer" further emphasizes the poet's wish to let the writing process be guided by forces beyond the conscious control of the writer. This approach to writing as an act of discovery, where the path of the narrative or the poem is not predetermined but emerges organically, underscores a theme of surrendering to the creative impulse. Collins's longing to "write on water" and "write on air" pushes the concept of ephemeral writing to its limits, where words leave no lasting mark and are subject to the whims of nature and chance. This embrace of impermanence speaks to the fleeting nature of beauty, experience, and understanding, highlighting the inherent beauty in transience. The poem culminates in the deeply personal desire to "write on your skin with the tip of my finger," a gesture that symbolizes the ultimate connection between the writer and the reader. This act of writing becomes an intimate exchange, where the medium is the human body, and the message is experienced sensorially and emotionally. The reader is invited to "read with your eyes shut tight," suggesting that the true essence of the poem—or any work of art—transcends the words themselves to touch something more profound and universal within us. Through "Medium," Billy Collins invites readers to reconsider the act of writing and reading as something that can be deeply physical, highly personal, and beautifully impermanent. The poem is a testament to the power of creativity to connect us to the world, to each other, and to the depths of our own experience, in ways that are endlessly surprising and profoundly moving.
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