Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alice Fulton's "Daynight, with Mountains Tied Inside" is a deeply evocative and multifaceted poem that explores themes of perception, solitude, and the interplay between the animate and inanimate. Through intricate imagery and rich metaphor, Fulton delves into the nature of light, music, and the passage of time, crafting a narrative that is both introspective and expansive.

The poem begins with a striking image of a chandelier "too full of brilliance to be indolent," immediately setting a tone of dazzling complexity. The prisms of the chandelier "enunciate the light," breaking it into rainbows without the need for rain, suggesting an inherent, effortless beauty and clarity. This imagery sets up a contrast between the effortless sparkle of inanimate objects and the laborious efforts of living beings.

Fulton continues this theme with the description of snowflakes as "Snow with six crutches in each crystal." This metaphor highlights the delicate, supportive structure of snowflakes, suggesting a fragility and complexity within simplicity. The snow’s "livery" and "glitter" are juxtaposed with the more laborious sparkle of animate beings, emphasizing the effortless beauty of inanimate objects.

The spinet, an old-fashioned piano, holds "the threat of music / in its depths," suggesting potential and the latent power of creation. The miniature busts of composers carved atop the spinet symbolize the passage of time and the enduring legacy of art. The hollow bench holding sheet music represents the storage of potential, waiting to be realized.

The speaker's request to "Sing me / Charm Gets In Your Eyes" and the assertion "I hear you best / when undistracted by your body" reflect a desire for pure, unembodied communication. This desire is further explored in the realm of "headspace technology," where flowers live in glass globes, their fragrance "vivisected." This sterile preservation of beauty contrasts with the natural, ephemeral bloom of flowers, raising questions about the nature of life and art.

Fulton introduces the theme of grief, likening it to the sea that "keeps going / over the same wrought / ground." This metaphor emphasizes the repetitive and enduring nature of sorrow. Praise, intended as a positive expression, "dies / in my throat or in the spooky rift / between itself and its intended," highlighting the difficulty of genuine expression and the failure of language to bridge emotional gaps.

The poem’s exploration of night and restlessness continues with the mention of a "restless bed" and a "blanket rough as sailcloth," conveying discomfort and unease. The speaker asks, "But sing me, was it kind / snow sometimes?" suggesting a longing for gentleness and purity in a world that often seems harsh and flawed.

Fulton's contemplation of perspective is captured in the question, "at what point / does west turn to east as it spins?" This reflects a struggle to understand the cyclical nature of time and space. The speaker’s request to "Dance me Exile / and the Queendom" further explores the theme of bodily expression and the ferocity of having one's body as an instrument.

The poem’s closing lines return to the idea of the "little crutch inside," now described as a "sort of / steeple," symbolizing support and aspiration. This crutch is not to be "chased" like silver or "beaten" like gold, but rather something intrinsic and spiritually significant. The speaker acknowledges the presence of this intrinsic support, which rises "with no objective / as everything does when happy," concluding with a celebration of unmotivated, inherent joy.

"Daynight, with Mountains Tied Inside" is a richly layered poem that traverses the realms of physical and emotional experience. Alice Fulton masterfully weaves together themes of light, music, and the natural world, inviting readers to contemplate the intricate interplay between the animate and inanimate, the ephemeral and the eternal. Through her nuanced and evocative language, Fulton captures the complexity of human perception and the profound beauty found in both the tangible and intangible aspects of life.

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