6/10/2020 2 Comments ObservationResponse to the observed, its originality as well as its accuracy, is a quality in an effective poem. The work of Elizabeth Bishop exemplifies this excellence. In her poem " The Filling Station, " she concludes her description of the careful, though dingy, details of its interior with humorous recognition:
Somebody embroidered the doily. Somebody waters the plant or oils it, maybe. Somebody arranges the rows of cans so they softly say : esso--so--so--so. Somebody loves us all. Elizabeth Bishop The Complete Poems 1927-1979 Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1983
2 Comments
Margaret Liftik
7/28/2020 09:51:23 am
Such vivid and funny details. Thank you for highlighting this passage.
Reply
Anne B
9/16/2020 07:48:18 pm
Just as Philip Larkin says we can only live in the days, so, too, Elizabeth Bishop's description of the filling station shows that we can only live in the given places.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Neva HerringtonNeva Herrington is a poet and former educator. She is currently working on a new book of poetry, a collection of short stories, and her memoir. Her inspiration comes from her own experience and the work of other poets. Archives
March 2022
Categories |