Review of Marie Howe’s poem “The moment’

 

Review of Marie Howe’s poem “The moment’

I request readers to read the poem first from the link above and then my review. Thanks.

When you give enough attention to a child and give her room to talk, it is a treat to watch her narrate things. She is immature. She doesn’t know the inner substance of anything she talks about. But we are drawn to her and are able to relate to her utterances and she takes us into her world and we happily watch everything from her angle and understanding. A creative poet’s outstanding poem also gives the reader a similar experience; but it’s quite opposite; here the poet childishly drives home the inner content or the actual fibre of something the poet chose to highlight.

In less than 50 words this poem impressed me for these three striking features:

1.The poem starts abstract indicating the sudden lost and depressed feel when everything looks bleak and there is no scope for moving forward.

2.Then the poet neutrally highlights the other side of hopelessness; very interesting she finds the dead-ends liberate one from what ‘I should be’, who ‘I should be’ or ‘Where I should be’ and all that.  She sees this other side is the creative outlook of a child. A creative poet is often a child and a monk both.

3. In the concluding line in six words ‘the white cotton curtains hanging still’ the poet brings the reader to the actual visualization, that is a room where a person is brooding.

The poem accepts the bitter truth that there is no ruling out a moment where you find all doors closed. When you feel why life is such a burden. Why failure and hopelessness are so painful and shaming. The way out may not unfold within any deadline. Till one finds a way out or consolidates herself and moves on there is certainly freedom from - what ‘I should be’, who ‘I should be’ or ‘Where I should be’.

The poet doesn’t sell any overenthusiastic optimism, nor does she distance herself from the despair and depression at rare negative moments. Still there is a temporary freedom from the race, from the stressful ‘what next’ and all that.

The reader finds some rigidity within broken and some closed windows opened and fresh air and light surrounding him. That’s simply this poem’s success.