Wallace Stevens "The Poems of Our Climate"

Understanding Stevens does not come easily to me. His poetry seems that of philosophical approaches and ideas which perhaps only he truly understood. Although I do appreciate his poetry, I find it that he confuses the reader throughout his works and provokes a feeling of ambiguity. Stevens makes his reader think about the underlying message and possibly does this in order to give the reader a freedom of his/her own understanding of the poetry.

“There would still remain the never-resting mind,
So that one would want to escape, come back
To what had been so long composed.” (18-20, 253)

In the above lines, taken from “The Poems of Our Climate”, I see a lot of meaning which I totally agree with. To me, it seems like Stevens is telling the reader that although there are many lovely and amazing images in nature, people do not seem to appreciate the simplicity and instead choose to ignore the beauty which is so serene and gentle. He explains in the first stanza, how innocent and pure nature is, as he forms images of tranquility and very relaxing, almost meditating like descriptions, within his word choice.
Stevens mentions “pink and white carnations” and follows that with “one desires so much more than that” (6, 252). Carnations are associated with fascination, distinction, and love. Moreover, according to http://www.proflowers.com/, white carnations are associated with purity and luck, and pink carnations are often given as a sign of gratitude. I find this to be very essential to the meaning of this poem. People tend to forget that they are in reality in sync with nature. Individuals look for luck and gratitude elsewhere, instead of appreciating what is the most vital creation of all – our environment. It is easy to loose touch with what should be the focus of our existence due to the many pressures of life. People look for beauty and purity in material or artificial objects, which in turn create greed and decadence.
What’s pure is ironically imperfect. As Stevens said, “The imperfect is our paradise” (21, 253). Poetry is also imperfect; and “The Poems of Our Climate” are the imperfections which people overlook everyday that are the most beautifully, simply, and naturally made jewels of the world. Our climate produces poems on its own; we are only too busy to notice them.

William Carlos Williams "Sympathetic Portrait of a Child"

Nervously
she crushes her straw hat
about her eyes
and tilts her head
to deepen the shadow—
smiling excitedly! (lines 11-16, pg. 289)

The poem titled “Sympathetic Portrait of a Child” made me smile as I read through the lines. Williams describes a little girl, “who is barely ten years old”, by using great imagery tactics as he depicts her shyness and excitement (2, 288). The above quote painted a picture for me due to its very realistic image. When children are shy, due to a variety of different reasons, they tend to hide themselves behind objects, like the little girl’s straw hat, as they believe that as long as they cannot see other individuals; those individuals cannot see them as well. It protects them from whatever harm, insecurity, or uncomfortableness they may feel. In this poem, I believe the little girl is being shy and tries to playfully cover herself up, but only to secretly smile as she innocently covers her eyes. Perhaps the child saw a kind man in the speaker of them poem and therefore opened up to him by smiling and showing emotion. Although it was the emotion of shyness, the child silently expressed interest in the speaker.
Since Williams calls the little girl’s father a murderer, it leads me to believe that her father was not a man who gave much attention to the girl, nor did he care much. Therefore, her shyness towards another man could have built upon from this lack of affection and attention from her father. The little girl noticed that the speaker was looking at her and displayed some interest in her being. To a child who has gone unnoticed for years, this may spark this exact reaction of hiding behind objects due to the child’s unlearned emotion of obtaining affection from a man. Although the poem seems lively in nature at a quick glance due to its innocent portrayal of a child, it also shows the effects of a neglected girl who does not know how to react to fondness from another adult.
The last three lines in the poem, “Why has she chosen me/ for the knife/ that darts along her smile?” play a key role in the poem (24-26, 289). Some people are told to have a “killer smile”, which I believe is the description Williams is portraying in the last three lines. The little girl shatters the speaker’s wall he may have put up against himself when it comes to displaying affection for children. It seems like both, the little girl and the speaker, are going through some kind of turmoil inside of them by experiencing warmth and friendliness coming forth from them mutually.
However, it is important to note that I do not see this poem in a sexual matter which I understand others may. To me, this poem is innocent in its nature and it depicts issues of insecurity.

Emily Dickinson "I Never Lost as Much but Twice"

In one of Emily Dickinson’s poems, she states, “I never lost as much but twice”. After reading the quite short, but very emotional poem, I could almost feel Dickinson’s despair. The fact that she says the word “twice” referencing her losses, leads me to believe that she lost people very close to her, twice. Dickinson mentions angels who descended twice, which to me translates as the angels of death which came to take away those who were close to her.
The most significant lines of the poem which bring me to the interpretation of these people, which Dickinson lost, being important to her, state, “Twice have I stood a beggar/ Before the door of God!” In these lines Dickinson truly puts her emotions and feelings on paper as she tells the reader about an inner battle she underwent twice, as she prayed to God and tried to relinquish her sadness. Here, Dickinson speaks of religion in a concealed, underlying way as she mentions the presence of God in her life.
I thought it was interesting that the words “Banker” and “Father” are separated by a hyphen instead of an exclamation point like the word “Burglar” is in the same line, in stanza 2. As I read the stanza over again, I read it as if “Banker” and “Father” was the same person. Someone Dickinson knew went from a banker to a father, or a reverend of some kind, which again leads me to believe that the poem is written about two people; a burglar, and a reverend, which in turn makes perfect sense since Dickinson speaks about losing something, and/or someone, twice.
Overall, I find this poem to be a beautifully written ballad of despair, which may be an ironic statement considering the poem’s meaning.