Mark Strand

Mark Strand has quenched my thirst to find the modern poet as I think his voice has captured the flag and ran home with it. While exploring many poets this semester, for me, Strand exemplifies many qualities that we have thrown around as modern. He has that experimental side of him, the philosophical edginess, the references that kind of capture many of the poets in lump sum. That is my rookie opinion but I just feel like there is a lot of what we have talked about going on in these poems. While Strand is very very very dark I still find light in his poems that even though this night or dark shade is there, there is still someplace else to go as the world is always moving and it must be light somewhere.

I want to examine In Celebration, I think that is very far from a celebration of any kind but is a commentary on how we celebrate and what we should celebrate. Even though people may be dying or sick or ill they have lived a lot of life and life is not easy. There are a lot of things to do and if you are upset that your life has become boring what are you doing. There is plenty still to do in life and just because you are old and cant do everything you used to doesn't mean there still aren't things to be done. I like the lines "It is the same wherever/you are, the same if the voice rots before/ the body, or the body rots before the voice." There is a belief here that you can't give up even if you still have one or the other you are still alive and that is what is important. The "celebration of giving yourself over to nothing" quote gives new life to the person allowing them to be free of regret or hurt or whatever happens. The idea to live is more important and worth celebrating than anything that has happened to you. When it is your time to go it won't be a huge deal because you will have lived and the "dust settling" should be the dust you kicked up when you did everything you possibly could to enjoy yourself and the art of living and celebrating that not death. The reference to childhood makes me think about how innocent and care free children are and how quickly it goes by until you grow up, but who says you have to lose that innocence.