Poem(HOME LEARNING)

Absences, by Donald Justice
It's snowing this afternoon and there are no flowers.
There is only this sound of falling, quiet and remote,
Like the memory of scales descending the white keys
Of a childhood piano--outside the window, palms!
And the heavy head of the cereus, inclining,
Soon to let down its white or yellow-white.
These poor snow-flowers in a heap,
Is the memory of a white dress cast down . . .
So much has fallen.
And I, who have listened for a step
All afternoon, hear it now, but already falling away,
Already in memory.
And the terrible scales descending
On the silent piano; the snow; and the absent flowers abounding.

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Hyperbole, metaphor and simile is used in this poem.

HYPERBOLE---It means that the poem is told in an overexaggerate manner. In this case, the absence is told in that manner. For example, the "only this sound of falling, quiet and remote", "poor snow-flowers in a heap", "already falling away, already in memory". This overexaggerate the fact that it was snowing and there were no flowers left. The poet chose this because it leaves the reader with a greater impact as compared to the unexaggerated one.

METAPHOR---It means taking two things seemingly unrelated and combine them together. In this poem, white dress and snow-flowers are combined together, "these poor snow flowers in a heap, is the memory of a white dress cast down." The poet chose this as it will stir up more interest in the reader, and would continue to read on or leave him with a good impression.

SIMILE---It has the same meaning as metaphor, but only uses "like, as or when". Here, an example would be "There is only this sound of falling, quiet and remote, Like the memory of scales descending the white keys of a childhood piano."The poet chose this because it will make the poem more meaningful and interesting, and the reader might inevitably imagine those things in his mind.

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I like this poem because it describes the absence very impactful, as if it's like the end of the world. It also uses some metaphors and similes, thus the poem is quite interesting. It is also fairly easy to understand the poem, for the poet does not use bombastic words or describe things that I have never heard of before. Even though he uses hyperbole, he did not "over-hyperbole" it, such that it became too unrealistic or something out of the world. So, I feel that this is a very good poem as the poet used a seemingly usual thing and turned it to a masterpiece!

~106 words