Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem opens with an invocation that acknowledges the speaker's powerlessness over the "carnivorous streets" and the "fabulous breakage" of the world, likening the ceaseless turmoil of existence to a "perpetuum mobile," a machine designed to move indefinitely. This metaphor not only highlights the beauty and futility of human attempts to control or understand the forces of nature and fate but also underscores the relentless, often destructive, momentum of life.

The prayer Hull articulates questions the presence of mercy in the "hour's dark moil," expressing a sense of abandonment and disillusionment with the divine. The stark realization that "ain’t no ladders tumbling down from heaven" and that "what heaven we had we made" captures the existential loneliness of the human experience, where safety, home, and love are elusive concepts forged in the fleeting moments of connection and beauty amidst suffering.

Hull expands the scope of the prayer to encompass a collective responsibility for the pain and breakage of the world, imploring for a harrowing that might make us "vessels for these stories." This plea reflects a desire to bear witness, to carry and honor the stories of "the dazzling men torn one from the other," "these women taken," and "these motherless children," suggesting that in the act of remembering and storytelling, there is a possibility for grace, however elusive.

The poem then shifts to a contemplation of prayer as "merely a style of waiting beyond the Hour of Lead," referencing Emily Dickinson's portrayal of grief and endurance. This comparison deepens the poem's exploration of suffering and the mechanisms we employ to cope with the unbearable weight of loss and despair.

In a final plea, the speaker beseeches that Emily, emblematic of all those who suffer, might transcend the "harp" of human pain to become something ethereal and unbound by the world's grief. The imagery of foam on the lakes, the powdery glow of evening, and the warmth of steam on pipes evokes a sense of transformation and liberation from suffering, a vision of beauty and peace crafted from the detritus of pain.

"Suite for Emily: 7. A Style of Prayer" is a powerful closing to the suite, offering a vision of hope and redemption through the acknowledgment of shared suffering and the communal act of prayer. Lynda Hull's poignant imagery, lyrical language, and deep empathy invite readers to reflect on the complexities of the human heart and the capacity for resilience in the face of life's relentless challenges. Through this prayer, Hull affirms the possibility of creating moments of heaven in the here and now, choosing to make each "fugitive moment" a sanctuary in a world that often feels bereft of mercy.

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