Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Brigit Pegeen Kelly’s "Leaving" is a lyrical meditation on persistence, transformation, and the quiet reverence for nature and labor. Through its vivid imagery and reflective tone, the poem captures the interplay between human effort and the natural world, exploring themes of solitude, endurance, and the profound connections that arise from acts of devotion.

The poem opens with the speaker recounting her father?s disbelief in her ability to complete the arduous task of picking peaches. This sets the stage for a narrative of quiet defiance and determination. The act of picking peaches becomes emblematic of a journey toward self-reliance and fulfillment, as the speaker labors alone in the orchard, guided only by patience, the stars, and the rhythmic flow of the canals. The phrase, “I was a girl then, my chest its own walled garden,” situates the speaker in a state of youth and potential, suggesting a self-contained world brimming with untapped strength and fertility.

Kelly’s use of the orchard as a setting underscores the poem’s exploration of cyclical growth and harvest. The orchard’s stillness and the canals’ steady flow reflect a harmony in nature that parallels the speaker’s task. The repetition of “all night” emphasizes the speaker’s tireless effort, her hands twisting fruit “as if I were entering a thousand doors.” This metaphor beautifully conveys the intimacy and ritualistic quality of her work, likening the act of picking peaches to a journey of discovery or transformation. Each peach becomes a threshold, each motion a step toward something greater than the task itself.

The stars play a significant role in the poem, serving as silent witnesses to the speaker’s labor. They “move right through me / the way the water moved through the canals,” suggesting an almost mystical union between the speaker and the cosmos. This connection imbues her task with a sense of timelessness, linking her to the many who have labored before her under the same celestial canopy. The interplay of movement—stars, water, and hands—creates a fluid rhythm that mirrors the act of harvesting and the natural cycles of growth and decay.

As dawn approaches, the tone shifts from one of focused exertion to serene fulfillment. The arrival of morning is described as an act of “goodness,” a gift from the distant “fields of the stars.” This transition from darkness to light mirrors the speaker’s internal transformation, her sense of stillness likened to “a bell...just after it has been rung.” This moment of pause, when the bell holds its resonance before yearning for another stroke, captures the balance between effort and rest, sound and silence, action and reflection.

The closing lines bring a sense of completion and revelation. The light transforms the orchard, the canals, and the pond, where the speaker lays the last peach in the water. The pond, now full of “fish and eyes,” becomes a locus of life and vitality, a place where her labor intersects with the natural world’s fecundity. The image of the pond teeming with eyes suggests an acknowledgment of being seen, of her solitary effort becoming part of a larger, interconnected whole.

"Leaving" is a masterful exploration of the sacredness of labor and the transformative power of solitude. Through the speaker’s nocturnal work, Kelly portrays a profound communion with nature and a quiet assertion of personal strength. The poem’s rich imagery and resonant metaphors invite readers to contemplate the relationships between effort, self-discovery, and the enduring rhythms of the natural world. It is a testament to the beauty found in persistence and the profound stillness that follows acts of devotion.

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