To me, the poem mingles the romantic with the eerie---and I hope I am not misreading (please tell me, though, if I am missing something). Even the spring morning is melting away, and that, too, is a little eerie. But the eeriest detail is the shadow of the hand (the hand implied to be missing, or withdrawn), but held tight in the night hours. I think of a scene of handholding in Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting, which some have declared to be the greatest ghost story ever written (and, most of the time, I agree): and that hand that was being held, in her novel, is spectral, long dead, and motivated to horrify and drive the main character into madness and death. I love poems that resonate so well that they lead me to think of other things I have read (like the The Waste Land does), and this poem, in its very compact and succinct way, does exactly that!
That's quite envigorating Starward! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It definitely isn't a misreading as the dynamics of your take are quite in keeping with the inspiration of this poem. 'The hand that is no longer' is a strange and alluring idea that begs to be articulated. It also allows for the idea that we are although connected throughout our waking days are for periods of time (shorter or longer) separate from each other. And that opens up other avenues in the meditations on relationships and human bonds and beyond. How exciting for you to have began that exploration through this 'portal' poem. Again, my gratitude, Rik.
To me, the poem mingles the
To me, the poem mingles the romantic with the eerie---and I hope I am not misreading (please tell me, though, if I am missing something). Even the spring morning is melting away, and that, too, is a little eerie. But the eeriest detail is the shadow of the hand (the hand implied to be missing, or withdrawn), but held tight in the night hours. I think of a scene of handholding in Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting, which some have declared to be the greatest ghost story ever written (and, most of the time, I agree): and that hand that was being held, in her novel, is spectral, long dead, and motivated to horrify and drive the main character into madness and death. I love poems that resonate so well that they lead me to think of other things I have read (like the The Waste Land does), and this poem, in its very compact and succinct way, does exactly that!
Starward
That's quite envigorating
That's quite envigorating Starward! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It definitely isn't a misreading as the dynamics of your take are quite in keeping with the inspiration of this poem. 'The hand that is no longer' is a strange and alluring idea that begs to be articulated. It also allows for the idea that we are although connected throughout our waking days are for periods of time (shorter or longer) separate from each other. And that opens up other avenues in the meditations on relationships and human bonds and beyond. How exciting for you to have began that exploration through this 'portal' poem. Again, my gratitude, Rik.
here is poetry that doesn't always conform
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