Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Donald Hall’s poem "Kicking the Leaves" is a meditation on memory, loss, and the passage of time, richly layered with personal and familial reflections. The poem, divided into seven sections, traverses different stages of Hall’s life and the lives of his loved ones, using the simple act of kicking leaves as a unifying motif.

The first section sets the scene in Ann Arbor, where Hall and his family walk home from a game on a dreary October day. The imagery is vivid and tactile: "I kick at the leaves of maples, / reds of seventy different shades, yellow / like old paper; and poplar leaves, fragile and pale; / and elm leaves, flags of a doomed race." The leaves, with their variety of colors and textures, evoke memories of Hall's childhood in Connecticut and New Hampshire, blending past and present. The act of kicking leaves becomes a nostalgic trigger, recalling moments with his father and the impending sense of loss as he knew his father would die "when the leaves were gone."

In the second section, Hall describes autumn chores on his grandparents' farm in New Hampshire. The meticulous preparation for winter—raking leaves against the house and covering them with spruce boughs—symbolizes a protective gesture against the harshness of the coming season. This ritualistic activity, followed by a quiet moment of shared coffee, underscores the cyclical nature of life and the comfort found in familial bonds and traditions.

The third section shifts to a more intimate memory of Hall's father from before World War II. Here, the playful image of father and son raking and tumbling in the leaves captures the joy and innocence of childhood. This memory contrasts with the earlier, more somber recollections, highlighting the fleeting nature of happiness and the inevitable march of time.

As the poem progresses to the fourth section, Hall reflects on his present, walking with his own children in Ann Arbor. His daughter and son, vibrant and full of life, represent continuity and growth: "my daughter’s hair is the red-yellow color / of birch leaves, and she is tall like a birch, / growing up, fifteen, growing older; and my son / flamboyant as maple, twenty." Hall's observation of his children's independence and their paths ahead evokes a bittersweet awareness of his own aging and eventual departure.

In the fifth section, Hall finds solace in the return of his poetic inspiration, "the vowels of bright desire," as he kicks the leaves. This resurgence of creativity, intertwined with the natural cycle of leaves falling and returning, suggests a renewal of life and purpose, even as it is rooted in the awareness of mortality.

The sixth section brings the theme of death to the forefront. Hall remembers his grandfather and father, both of whom passed away in March, a month symbolically tied to the rebirth of nature. The act of flinging leaves becomes a metaphor for the scattering of memories and the inevitability of loss. The mention of Johnson’s Pond, now replaced by houses, highlights the encroachment of time and change on personal landscapes.

The poem culminates in the seventh section with Hall's ecstatic embrace of the leaves. This final act of leaping and falling into the leaves symbolizes a surrender to the cycle of life and death, an acceptance of his place within it. The vivid sensory experience of "breathing the acrid odor of maple" and the "delicious falling into the arms of leaves" conveys a profound connection to the natural world and a reconciliation with mortality.

"Kicking the Leaves" is a rich tapestry of sensory details, personal memories, and universal themes. Hall’s use of the leaves as a central motif ties together the different stages of his life, reflecting on the continuity and impermanence of existence. The poem's structure, with its distinct yet interconnected sections, mirrors the layered complexity of memory and the way the past continuously informs the present. Through this deeply personal yet universally resonant exploration, Hall invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of time, loss, and the simple, enduring pleasures that bind us to life.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...