Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Barbara Guest’s poem "20" intricately weaves the seemingly mundane number twenty into a dreamscape of memories, reflections, and the passage of time. The poem’s structure, rich with surreal imagery and introspective musings, invites readers to explore the layered significance of this number within the context of personal and collective experience.

The poem opens with a declarative statement: "Sleep is 20 / remembering the insignificant flamenco dancer / in Granada." Here, the number twenty is immediately linked to sleep and memory, suggesting a connection between numerical abstraction and the fluidity of dreams. The flamenco dancer, initially deemed "insignificant," gains importance through the act of remembering, hinting at how perceptions can shift in the liminal space of dreams. The setting in Granada, with its "mountain ridge" and "dry hills," evokes a landscape that is both tangible and dreamlike, grounding the reader in a specific locale while also expanding into a broader symbolic terrain.

Guest's playful tone emerges in the line, "What an idiotic number!" This interjection breaks the contemplative flow, adding a touch of humor and self-awareness to the poem. By calling the number idiotic, the speaker distances herself from the conventional importance of numbers, instead inviting a more whimsical interpretation. This tone persists as the poem reiterates, "Sleep is twenty," affirming the number’s association with rest and the subconscious.

The poem’s imagery becomes more concrete with the comparison, "it certainly isn’t twenty sheep / there weren’t that many in the herd / under the cold crest of Sierra Nevada." This passage juxtaposes the abstract nature of twenty with a tangible scene of a limited herd of sheep. The cold crest of the Sierra Nevada adds a sense of isolation and stark beauty, reinforcing the theme of solitude in dreams.

Guest transitions into a more urban setting with "20 Madison Ave. buses / while I go droning away at my dream life." The shift from rural Granada to the bustling streets of Madison Avenue underscores the poem’s exploration of different environments and experiences. The buses, symbols of the city’s relentless motion, contrast with the stillness of sleep, emphasizing the continuous movement of time and life even as one dreams.

The poem delves into the idea of sequences and dramas, with the speaker proclaiming, "Each episode is important / that’s what it is! Sequences — / I’ve got going a twenty-act drama." Here, Guest likens the progression of dreams to a theatrical performance, with each episode holding its own significance. The notion of a "twenty-act drama" suggests a complexity and depth to the speaker’s dream life, echoing the multifaceted nature of human experience.

The poem further blurs the line between reality and dreams with the image of "the wild flowers / picked by the wife of the goatherd / each morning early (while I sleep) / under the snow cone / of Sierra Nevada." This scene, rich with pastoral tranquility, contrasts with the earlier urban imagery, highlighting the diverse settings that populate the speaker’s dreams. The yellow caps of the flowers, likened to castanets, introduce a rhythmic element, enhancing the poem’s musicality.

In the final lines, the repetition of "twenty" underscores its centrality to the poem: "I reach into my bouquet / half-dreaming / and count twenty / yellow capped heads / flowers clicking twenty times / because they like to repeat themselves." This repetition mirrors the cyclical nature of dreams and memories, suggesting an inherent pattern or rhythm to the subconscious. The act of counting, a typically mundane task, becomes a meditative ritual, emphasizing the interplay between the conscious and subconscious mind.

Guest concludes with a reflection on the universality of dreams: "As even these dreams in similar / people’s heads / 20 / castanets." By extending the significance of twenty to other people's dreams, the poem highlights shared human experiences and the collective nature of dreaming.

"20" is a contemplative and richly textured poem that explores the significance of a single number within the realms of sleep, memory, and dreams. Guest’s playful tone, vivid imagery, and rhythmic repetition invite readers to reflect on the complexities of their own subconscious landscapes, offering a poignant meditation on the intersections of time, experience, and imagination.

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