POETRY JOURNAL #2 (A)

Forgetfulness by Billy Collins
Contemporary Poet
S: someone who is aware of the consequences of “forgetting” something
O: a reflection and/or posing scenarios after another
A: those who are also aware of what is going on and the near consequences
P: reflecting and or bringing awareness to the possibilities of not having knowledge
S: a symbol for someone who begins to forget their past, present and possible future
TONE: pessimistic, gloomy, curious

“i am accused of tending to the past” by Lucille Clifton
i am accused of tending to the past
as if i made it,
as if i sculpted it
with my own hands, i did not.
this past was waiting for me
when i came,
a monstrous unnamed baby,
and i with my mother’s itch
took it to breast
and named it
History.
she is more human now,
learning languages everyday,
remembering faces, names and dates.
when she is strong enough to travel
on her own, beware, she will.

In Billy Collins’ Forgetfulness, Collins talks about the consequences and how when one begins to forget or lose recollections of why things are the way they are. He begins little by little nit picking the small things which will eventually lead to the bigger ones; forgetting such a small thing such as “the author” of a book to forgetting why things are the way they are. Collins’ nonchalantly reflects upon the possible consequences of becoming forgetful however he evokes awareness. Collins does not use any end rhymes let alone rhymes however that just reemphasizes the importance of stating rather than symbolically speaking or saying something subtly. This poem is straightforward.
I chose Lucille Clifton’s poem “i am accused of tending to the past” because I felt that it was a great contrast of talking about being forgetful to knowing and remembering in Clifton’s poem. While Clifton’s style of writing in all lowercase may not play a role in what is being compared, it adds complexity to interpreting the poem and its message. Some may say that it could be written from a child’s point of view and others say it may be written from an elderly; I say it compares extremely well with the contrasting ideas of Collin’s poem/message.