Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Donald Justice's poem "Absences" beautifully captures the melancholy of loss and the haunting presence of memories. The poem paints a scene where the external snowfall becomes a metaphor for the internal landscape of the speaker’s emotions, reflecting a sense of stillness and absence.

The opening line, "It's snowing this afternoon and there are no flowers," sets the stage for the poem's meditative tone. The contrast between the falling snow and the absence of flowers suggests a shift from life and vibrancy to coldness and barrenness. This image introduces the central theme of loss and the void it leaves behind.

"There is only this sound of falling, quiet and remote, / Like the memory of scales descending the white keys / Of a childhood piano—outside the window, palms!" Here, Justice juxtaposes the quiet, remote sound of snow falling with the memory of a piano’s scales, evoking a sense of nostalgia. The comparison to piano scales descending the white keys not only emphasizes the repetitive and inevitable nature of loss but also connects to the theme of childhood and innocence lost. The mention of palms outside the window adds a layer of surreal contrast, as palms are typically associated with warmth and life, creating a discordant image against the cold snow.

The imagery continues with "And the heavy head of the cereus, inclining, / Soon to let down its white or yellow-white." The cereus, a cactus that blooms rarely and often at night, symbolizes fleeting beauty and the ephemerality of life. Its impending bloom parallels the snow’s temporary presence, reinforcing the theme of transient beauty and inevitable decline.

"Now, only these poor snow-flowers in a heap, / Like the memory of a white dress cast down . . ." The snow-flowers in a heap liken the fallen snow to discarded remnants of beauty, akin to a white dress cast down. This image evokes a sense of abandonment and the end of an era, much like the loss of innocence or the fading of a cherished memory.

"So much has fallen." This line succinctly captures the weight of accumulated losses and the overwhelming sense of grief. It acts as a turning point, leading to the speaker's introspection about their own experience of waiting and remembering.

"And I, who have listened for a step / All afternoon, hear it now, but already falling away, / Already in memory." The speaker's anticipation of a step—possibly a loved one’s return—culminates in the realization that the moment has already passed into memory. This fleeting step symbolizes the transient nature of presence and the inevitable slide into absence.

The final lines, "And the terrible scales descending / On the silent piano; the snow; and the absent flowers abounding," bring the poem full circle. The descending scales on the silent piano reinforce the themes of loss and memory, echoing the earlier imagery. The snow and absent flowers emphasize the overwhelming presence of absence itself, suggesting that what remains most vivid and abundant in the speaker's life is the memory of what has been lost.

Through "Absences," Donald Justice eloquently expresses the poignant interplay between presence and absence, memory and loss. The poem's quiet, reflective tone, combined with its rich, evocative imagery, invites readers to contemplate their own experiences of loss and the enduring power of memory. Justice's mastery lies in his ability to convey deep emotional truths through simple yet powerful metaphors, making "Absences" a hauntingly beautiful meditation on the nature of absence and remembrance.

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