Burying the Gem

In one of her poems, Emily Dickinson wrote, “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant.” She goes on to say that the truth is like lightning, and the poet needs to come at his theme from an angle rather than “blinding” his readers with an abrupt, blunt statement of the truth. Dickinson was right. Part of the delight we experience in reading poetry comes from discovering the poet’s meaning for ourselves—a meaning that lies beneath the surface of the printed word. A good poem treats its reader as much more than an unsuspecting target for a lightning bolt. A good poem respects the reader as a person capable of some imaginative mining. A good poem packs its meaning into imagery and compressed language. The subtlety and restraint of a good poem compel the reader to dig for the sparkling gem of insight it contains.

The following poem falls into the category of “concrete poetry.” A concrete poem makes the actual shape of the lines on the page contribute to its meaning. As you read the poem, notice how the poet leaves certain things unstated, assuming that the reader will make imaginative connections for himself.

  Hope

     A
   tiny
  flame
   spurts
    up—

  bright
  against
  a cool
  black
  pane—
  might
  waver
  before
  subtle
  unseen
  puffs
  of air
  but for-
 ever leaps
  tall again.

How would you state the meaning, or the truth being conveyed in this poem? The title indicates it is a poem about hope, but what is the poem actually saying about hope?

The shape of the poem on the page reveals the central image before we even read the lines. Hope is being compared to a candle. The phrase “cool black pane” suggests that this candle has been placed in a window at night where it makes a bright spot in an otherwise dark place. The poem speaks of the candle flame “wavering” occasionally as it is blown by invisible drafts in the room. These air currents might be seen as threats to the flame. But it responds to each draft in the same way; it “leaps tall again,” decisively refusing to be extinguished.

We could state the poet’s meaning in these terms: True hope places such confidence in its object that it remains steadfast even in the bleakest circumstances and in the most threatening situations.

Count the words in that italicized sentence. The actual poem uses only one additional word to express this meaning—two if you count the title—and in a much more memorable and delightful way! The poem allows the truth to “sneak up on” the reader rather than thumping him over the head with it. By refusing to state its meaning directly, the poem gives the reader the joy of mining for it himself. And the reader will probably enjoy the gem all the more for the effort he exerted to find it.

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