Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"A Feather for Voltaire" by Jorie Graham is a richly layered and enigmatic poem that explores themes of language, nature, and the human condition. The poem's structure and form are free-flowing, reflecting the flight of a bird, which is a central metaphor throughout the piece. Graham's use of the bird as a symbol for the alphabet and words suggests a deep connection between the natural world and the creation of language.

The poem begins with the assertion, "The bird is an alphabet, it flies / above us, catch / as catch can, / a flock, / a travel plan. / Some never touch ground." Here, the bird is likened to the alphabet, implying that letters and words have the potential to soar and create meaning, yet some may never fully realize their potential, just as some birds never touch the ground. This imagery sets the tone for the poem, emphasizing the fluidity and elusive nature of language.

Graham continues with, "And each flight is an arc to buttress the sky, / a loan to the sky. / And the little words we make of them, the single feathers, dropped / for us to recover, / fall and fall, / a nimble armor." The flight of the bird is described as an arc, a support structure for the sky, symbolizing how language can uphold and shape our understanding of the world. The "single feathers" represent individual words, which are fragile yet significant, forming a "nimble armor" that protects and defines us.

The poem's third stanza poses a contemplative question, "Feather, feather of this morning, where does your garden grow / flying upwind, saying look / it is safe / never to land, / it is better." The feather's garden is an abstract concept, suggesting a place where words and ideas flourish. The notion that it is safer and better never to land speaks to the freedom and perpetual motion of language and thought, unbounded by the limitations of concrete existence.

Graham then introduces a contrasting image, "A man full of words / is a garden of weeds, / and when the weeds grow, / a garden of snow, / a necklace of tracks: it was here, my snow owl perhaps. / Who scared it away? / I, said the sparrow, / with my need, its arrow." This passage highlights the duality of language, where an overabundance of words can lead to chaos and confusion, likened to a garden overrun with weeds. The transformation into a "garden of snow" and the disappearance of the snow owl add a layer of melancholy, suggesting that something pure and beautiful has been lost due to human interference.

The poem's narrator acknowledges their own role in this loss, admitting, "with my need, its arrow. And so here I belong, trespassing, alone, / in this nation of turns / not meant to be taken / I’ve taken." This introspection reveals a sense of guilt and isolation, as the speaker navigates a complex landscape of language and meaning, making choices that perhaps were not theirs to make.

The concluding lines, "A feather, / pulled from the body or found on the snow / can be dipped into ink / to make one or more words: possessive, the sun. A pen / can get drunk, / having come so far, having so far to go — meadow, / in vain, imagine, / the pain / and when he was gone then there was none / and this is the key to the kingdom," encapsulate the transformative power of language. A single feather, whether taken forcibly or discovered naturally, can create words and convey immense meaning. The pen, personified as capable of getting drunk, represents the intoxicating journey of writing and creating. The final lines suggest a sense of loss and finality, hinting at the ephemeral nature of both life and language.

In "A Feather for Voltaire," Graham masterfully intertwines natural imagery with reflections on language, creating a meditation on the beauty, complexity, and sometimes painful consequences of human expression. The poem's free form and rich symbolism invite readers to ponder the intricate relationship between the words we create and the world we inhabit.

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