Alcove
Is it possible that spring could be
once more approaching? We forget each time
what a mindless business it is, porous like sleep,
adrift on the horizon, refusing to take sides, “mugwump
of the final hour,” lest an agenda—horrors!—be imputed to it,
and the whole point of its being spring collapse
like a hole dug in sand. It’s breathy, though,
you have to say that for it.
And should further seasons coagulate
into years, like spilled, dried paint, why,
who’s to say we weren’t provident? We indeed
looked out for others as though they mattered, and they,
catching the spirit, came home with us, spent the night
in an alcove from which their breathing could be heard clearly.
But it’s not over yet. Terrible incidents happen
daily. That’s how we get around obstacles.
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Is it possible that spring could be
once more approaching? We forget each time
what a mindless business it is, porous (easy to cross or penetrate) like sleep,
Spring is near and the author is mentioning how most of us don’t think of it because it is something that occurs often. Like sleep, we forget about spring because it is not something we experiance just once but it is a wonderful, beautiful, replenishing part of life.
adrift on the horizon, refusing to take sides, “mugwump
of the final hour,” lest an agenda—horrors!—be imputed to it,
Spring encompasses vast areas at once so it is on the horizon, most likely overcoming the horizon, without direction or stability since it is covering and transforming everything it it’s tracks. It doesn’t take sides because all of the land and nature recieves Spring equally, almost simoutaneously, and in the same way.
Imputed is to charge so the line is saying it would be a horror for someone or something to say that spring and the coming of spring has a secret agenda, which has a negative sound and meaning to it.
and the whole point of its being spring collapse
like a hole dug in sand. It’s breathy, though,
you have to say that for it.
These lines use similes
And should further seasons coagulate
into years, like spilled, dried paint
These lines are expressing the idea of seasons passing and for each four seasons, they tranform into years. It’s showing the transgression of time. Ashbury is using the simile of “like spilled, dried paint” to show how at times, the seasons can feel so long and seem to go on forever, much like spilled paint slowly drips and although it takes a long time, eventually dries. Similarly, although it may take a long time, the season will eventually change.
who’s to say we weren’t provident?
Who is to say that they weren’t looking out for future events or needs?
We indeed looked out for others as though they mattered, and they,
catching the spirit, came home with us, spent the night
in an alcove from which their breathing could be heard clearly.
But it’s not over yet. Terrible incidents happen
daily. That’s how we get around obstacles.
This is stating that because “terrible incidents” happen all the time and on a daily basis, we have grown accustomed to them and have learned how to overcome them and “get around” them. We teach oursleves, look out for others, and handle the obsacles that are so often thrown at us.
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This poem, although interesting and fun to read, had many lines that I felt were confusing and oddly placed. I didn’t understand some of the ideas that Ashbury was trying to express and therefore I felt like pieces or areas of the poem were missing. It was very interesting how Ashbury spoke of Spring the entire time using personification, as if it were alive and had feelings and an agenda.
englishpoetry23 