49/50

Interpreting "The Pike" by
Amy Lowell

Lowell's pike is in the brown water.
Her pike is sleeping, unnoticed.
Lowell sees the pike, but we don't.
It is lost.


Then the suddenness, she says.
Her fish flicks its tail.
A green and copper brightness
flicks its tail.
The water is liquid and cool.
The fish is liquid and cool.

The fish is a symbol for god.
Poets do that.
They like to do that.
They all do it.
They can't help themselves.

Lowell's pike darts beneath the brown water.
Her pike's bright colors join with sun-colors
reflected on the water.
"Green and copper," Lowell says,
"A darkness and a gleam."

What does she want us to see?
The brown water animated by the fish.
The brown water animated by the sun.
Brown is water,
brown is us,
green is earth,
green is us,
copper is belly of earth,
we are belly of earth,
gleam is sun,
gleam is us.

A darkness and a gleam.
Bright colors on brown water,
bright colors in brown water,
a fish in sun drenched water.
God in water.
Water is god.
Fish is god.
Sun is god.
Poet is god.
We are god.
Jesus is criminal,
nailed to the cross.
Criminal is god.
God is a darkness and a gleam.
We are a darkness and a gleam.

The fish is not noticed.
The fish is lost.
We don't see it.

Close your eyes.
Do you see the fish?
Open your eyes.
Do you still see it?