Happiness. It comes on
Unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
Any early morning talk about it.
This quotation perfectly encapsulates the way happiness can take shape in the simplest of forms, and from the simplest of things. This poem describes how the narrator finds great happiness in witnessing two young boys delivering papers in the neighborhood. The friendship and simplicity of their early morning fills the narrator with immense and intense peace. In this quotation, he reflects upon this peace and notes that the sight of the two young boys brings him immense happiness. He points out that happiness is so infrequently planned, but is rather a spontaneous emotion, one that occurs without warning and without principle. The narrator then juxtaposes the simplicity of happiness with the vast complexity of the emotion. He comments that happiness, though it can be found in a simple moment, is such a complex emotion and can therefore not be pondered over morning coffee.
I couldn’t see it.
Not until this morning.
In this poem, the narrator is looking out his window, across the strait. He catches sight of a boat, sailing across the waves and is reminded of a fellow sailor whose wife died. He recalls how the old sailor used to set a place for her at the dining room table and open the windows for her—even after she had passed. He recalls that he once found these acts to be embarrassing; he didn’t understand why the sailor would do these things for his dead wife. Now, however, as he looks upon the strait—possibly after experiencing is own tragedy—the narrator realizes why that old sailor did what he did. The narrator finally comes to understand that grief has no handbook; everyone experiences it differently. In this way, this quotation highlights how we can gain understanding and compassion in the oddest of times and strangest of places.
Remembered
my friend who used to shout
his dead wife’s name from hilltops
around Perugia. Who set a plate
for her at his simple table long after
she was gone. And opened the windows
so she could have fresh air.
This poem captures the odd experiences that encapsulate grief. In this poem, the narrator recalls an old sailing friend of his. This old sailor lost his wife and—even after she had died—he still shouted her name, set a place for her at the dinner table, and opened windows for her. This passage perfectly describes how grief manifests itself differently for everyone. It also shows how grief is an odd emotion—one that can be difficult for others to understand. As a result, this passage perfectly captures how grief is an odd emotion that affects everyone differently and is foreign to those who have not yet experienced it.
When you open
my letter you will recall
those days and how much,
just how much, I love you.
These closing stanzas of this very short poem capture the way we associate memories with the simplest of items or ideas. In this poem, the narrator imagines sending a letter to his young love, Tess. The letter will contain a single word: hummingbird. Though the narrator does not disclose the significance of this word, it is clear that the narrator’s love would instantly understand the significance. In this way, this poem captures the simplicity of young love and our memories. It highlights how we can associate a vast plethora of memories with a single word.
