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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Keep Me Still, for I Do Not Want to Dream" by Larry Eigner encapsulates a contemplation of the domestic and the natural world, intertwined with the inevitabilities of time and life's continuous, often unnoticed, movements. Eigner's use of imagery and everyday scenes crafts a dense tapestry of life at a particular place, imbued with both permanence and ephemeral change. The poem begins with a declaration of residence and existence: "I live in this house, walls being plastered all my life." This line not only establishes a setting but also conveys a sense of ongoing maintenance and perhaps the unending labor involved in both physical and metaphorical upkeep of one's life and home. The mention of "the apple tree still standing my life built," ties the growth and endurance of a tree to the speaker's own life, suggesting a parallel between the natural growth and human existence. The imagery of time marking itself "on the walls cross, standing around in distinct company" evokes a picture of time as a silent observer to the life and interactions within the house, perhaps marking significant moments like a silent witness. In "projection, the clothes wave briefly, touch beyond eyes," there is an impression of transience, with clothes momentarily catching the wind, suggesting fleeting interactions and the brief connections we make, which may go beyond what we can see or fully understand. "Weed the garden the light burns away the street" shifts focus to the external environment, where domestic chores blend into the passage of day into night. Here, the light not only illuminates but also erases, playing on the theme of visibility and the impermanence of daily phenomena. The poem then delves deeper into the nocturnal with "the peaceful corn salt in the empty night, among chickens, sparrows and dogs," which paints a serene yet desolate picture of the rural or suburban night, filled with the presence of animals as companions in the quiet. Further imagery such as "the pigeons limping easily on the roof, the cat sticking his limbs through the sewer his claws agape, naked pondering" adds to the detailed observation of animal life, each creature engaged in its own existence, contributing to the larger tableau of life at the speaker’s home. "He goes to sleep and wakes up he plays dead, hanging... rain melts and hail fans on the wind" these lines reflect on the cycles of nature and life—sleep, weather changes, and the adaptations creatures make to survive and respond to their environment. Finally, "the thistles, when they get old nearly everything gets in and then we close up the flowers are hidden lately" suggests a closing cycle, both seasonal and life-wise. Thistles aging and flowers being hidden speak to the natural cycle of growth and dormancy, paralleling human life and its phases of openness and withdrawal. Overall, "Keep Me Still, for I Do Not Want to Dream" reflects on the mundane yet profound flux of existence within a familiar space, capturing the beauty and the melancholy of daily life, the passage of time, and the interaction between the domestic sphere and the natural world. Eigner’s poetic form, with its open structure and lack of punctuation, mirrors the continuous and overlapping experiences of life, emphasizing a stream of consciousness that draws the reader into its reflective depth.
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