Just off the Highway to Rochester, Minnesota
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
"A Blessing," James Wright
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You can tell that its night time because it says "twilight bounds softly". And the horses are friendly and happy to see people even though they dont know them. The fact that it says they've been "grazing all day, alone" indicates that the horses may not have owners or maybe the owners dont pay enough attention. The way that the author speaks of the horses and how the horses were so happy to see them may mean that they have been there before.
ReplyDeleteThis poem kind of surprised me. When I first read it, it seemed like a happy, loving poem about horses. But then, as I looked closer into the poem, it actually seemed more about death. Phrases such as "We step over the barbed wire into the pasture," "At home once more," and "if I stepped out of my body" convey the theme of death and the after-life. I think it is interesting that the title of the poem is "A Blessing," even though it is about death. This makes me think that the author views death as a good thing and may even be looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteThis poem confuses me. The beginning talks about how peaceful and how happy the horses are to see them coming, they can barely contain themselves. But then it says "there is no loneliness like theirs." And maybe that's a good thing. What is lonely for them, isn't lonely for us. But if it is a negative thing, it seems contradictory to the rest of the poem. How can they be so happy and content, but lonely at the same time? I also don't understand the last line. What does he mean he would bloom? And why does he realize through looking at a horse that he would bloom?
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