Losing the Light
This lyric poem explores the feeling of losing the proverbial light in life. The imagery of sinking down in a lake brings a very morbid tone to the poem, but the poetic devices used manage to keep the panic from ruining the beauty of the poem. I chose this for the November “lost’ poem because, not only does it compliment the November “found” poem – Darkness – but it also captures the feeling of depression that many people feel at the beginning of winter.
Although there is no set rhyme or rhythm, the poem does have elements of both, especially internal rhyme. Poetic devices used is this poem are mainly similes.
As if you’ve been thrown
like a stone,skipping across moments
by touching
the surface tension,
the rings circling outwards
from where you have been,
leaving you behind
in the here and now.
Sinking,
as if you are being pulled under,
beneath the surface of a lake.
But you are not drowning.
Only a seamlessly closing down
and the world is still outside
in the growing distance.
And while there is no pain,
there remains the ordinary day
all around you,
and so you ask your wife,
what happened to the light?
like a stone,skipping across moments
by touching
the surface tension,
the rings circling outwards
from where you have been,
leaving you behind
in the here and now.
Sinking,
as if you are being pulled under,
beneath the surface of a lake.
But you are not drowning.
Only a seamlessly closing down
and the world is still outside
in the growing distance.
And while there is no pain,
there remains the ordinary day
all around you,
and so you ask your wife,
what happened to the light?
- Charles Entrekin
I found this poem quite interesting, however I do agree with your previous point that it has quite a morvid tone. My favorite line is :surface tension. I think that it represents well the stress and fear this person feels right before they finally break through and the light is shut out completely.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the poem is really powerful and can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. To me, the poet was expressing a sense of internal struggle using vocabulary and descriptions you would find in the external world. This created a sense of conflict while I was reading the poem. The last two stanzas kinda felt like they linked the two worlds together which is an extremely effective way to conclude a poem of its genre.
ReplyDeleteOoh at first I was under the impression that you were the author of it! So that closing statement was quite a shock, naturally. But on a more serious note I would like to compliment you on such a choice- November is a colder, quieter month and somehow recognizing this has made it a little easier to ease into. I really enjoyed the extended metaphor of the lake, & the words of the last stanza ring true for me, the pain of the mundane routine we sometimes enter in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Charlie about how this poem can be interpreted in many different ways. However, I believe that this poem is best interpreted as a poem about depression and grief. I like the theme of lost and found, and look forward to reading more poems in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex T. about agreeing with Charlie, this is a very "open" poem. They're my favorite types, because they truly allow the reader to create his own ideas and thoughts. A great poem, I'll certainly be visiting again to read more.
ReplyDeletei feel depressed after reading that. I liked your choice in making this your november poem because how people feel about winter, very creative.
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