Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Richard Aitson’s "Winter" is a haunting, lyrical meditation on survival, endurance, and the complex relationship between nature and human experience. The poem’s sparse, evocative imagery and free-form structure create a sense of quiet tension, reflecting both the physical harshness of winter and its emotional weight. Aitson, whose work often explores Native American themes and the intersection of personal and cultural identity, infuses this poem with a deep connection to the natural world, using winter as a metaphor for hardship and resilience.

The poem opens with the speaker attempting to shield themselves from the "grandmother breath of winter." This phrase immediately establishes a duality: winter as both nurturing and harsh, a grandmother figure whose breath carries wisdom and age but also cold, inescapable reality. The idea of "hiding myself from the footstep breath of horses, the pure breed of snow" blends the animate with the inanimate, suggesting that even natural elements possess a life force that the speaker must contend with. The "pure breed of snow" evokes both the beauty and the relentlessness of winter, its purity underscoring the starkness of the landscape.

The speaker describes finding shelter in ephemeral, fragile places: "hiding myself / in the windbreak of an eyelash and the entrails of smoke." These images suggest both the delicacy and impermanence of protection against the overwhelming force of winter. An eyelash offers almost no barrier, while smoke, transient and intangible, slips through fingers and dissipates into the air. This imagery reflects the vulnerability of the speaker, who seeks refuge in things that cannot truly shield them from the elements.

Aitson deepens this sense of vulnerability with the line: "winter's dogs sleep within the marrow, even the blood fears to travel." Here, the cold penetrates the most intimate parts of the body, sinking into the bones and slowing the very flow of life. The metaphor of "winter's dogs" sleeping within the marrow suggests a deep, almost predatory presence of the season, as if winter itself carries a silent, lurking danger. The notion that "even the blood fears to travel" amplifies this, painting winter as an oppressive force that halts not just movement but life itself.

The poem shifts to a more communal tone with the line: "We count in prayers, peyote morning: and plumes of crows." The reference to peyote, a plant used in Native American spiritual ceremonies for its hallucinogenic properties, suggests a ritualistic attempt to transcend the hardships of winter through spiritual connection. The juxtaposition of "prayers" and "plumes of crows" merges the sacred with the natural, as crows often symbolize death, transformation, or messengers between worlds in various Indigenous traditions. This blend of ritual and nature hints at a deeper cultural resonance, where survival is not just physical but also spiritual.

Aitson continues to explore the theme of endurance with the line: "Day moves our hands like ropes in winter, slow, enduring, constant." The simile of hands moving like ropes conveys both the heaviness of labor and the persistence required to navigate winter’s challenges. The repetition of "slow, enduring, constant" reinforces the monotonous, unyielding passage of time in the cold season. The following line, "the voice of wolves in famine, the voice of shells in dance," juxtaposes two distinct sounds—one of hunger and survival, the other of celebration and ritual. This contrast highlights the dual nature of winter as both a time of struggle and a season steeped in cultural significance.

The poem moves toward its conclusion with reflections on the changing seasons: "end of winter comes like tomorrows of old men." This line suggests that the end of winter is anticipated with the same cautious hope as an aging person’s expectation of another day. There’s a sense of weary patience here, as if survival itself becomes a repetitive, almost ritualistic act. The image of "dogs crawl within themselves to escape it" personifies the animals’ instinctive retreat, mirroring the speaker’s own efforts to find refuge from the cold.

Nature is presented as both oppressive and cyclical: "it hangs in the trees / autumn's prayers drip homeward." The idea that autumn’s prayers "drip homeward" suggests a return to origins, as if the passing of seasons is a form of spiritual journeying. The "cloud's children mingle" evokes the natural elements converging, perhaps snowflakes or rain, symbolizing the interconnectedness of the natural world even in its harshest moments.

The final lines offer a subtle note of transcendence: "we look to the east and forget to suffer." The east, often symbolizing new beginnings, light, and spiritual awakening in various Indigenous traditions, represents hope and renewal. By turning toward the east, the speaker and their community momentarily transcend the suffering of winter, finding solace in the promise of change and the cyclical nature of life. This quiet, understated conclusion suggests that while winter’s hardships are inescapable, there is always the possibility of renewal, both physically and spiritually.

Aitson’s use of minimal punctuation and free verse enhances the poem’s flowing, meditative quality, allowing the imagery to unfold organically. The lack of formal structure mirrors the unpredictable, uncontrollable force of winter, while the repetition of certain phrases—like "hiding myself" and "the sun is blue" in his other works—creates a rhythmic continuity that ties personal experience to broader, cyclical patterns in nature.

In "Winter," Richard Aitson captures the profound interplay between nature, identity, and endurance. The poem’s rich, layered imagery and spiritual undertones reflect the speaker’s struggle to navigate not only the physical harshness of the season but also the emotional and cultural challenges it represents. Through its blend of vulnerability and resilience, "Winter" becomes a testament to the human capacity for survival, rooted in both personal strength and communal tradition.

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