Poem Analysis -Week 1

"To Myself" by W.S. Merwin definitely caught my attention out of all the poems I skimmed through in the packet. This poem reminded me so much of myself and how I am often searching for who I truly am, who I have become, and who I used to be. I believe introspection is a very important aspect of one's self-discovery, and I love that this poem addresses it. I found the punctuation in this poem (or lack there of) very strange. It made the sentences hard to read because often I didn't know where one sentence ended and the next began. It was too easy to sprint right through it, just to realize that none of it made any sense. By the second or third time through it however, I was able to find the natural places to start and end thoughts and where to put pauses to help clarify the sentences. I particularly enjoyed the part of the poem which said, "... and I/ think then I can recognize/ you who are always the same/ who pretend to be time but/ you are not time and who speak/ in the words but you are not/ what they say you who are not/ lost when I do not find you" This was one of the more difficult sections to read for the first time because of the lack of punctuation, however, I found I enjoyed it the most. The author compares himself to time by saying "you...who pretend to be time but/ you are not time..." I believe he says this because time is known for passing quickly and not being cherished for its worth. Here, he is telling himself that he tries to pretend that he can sneak by, unnoticed and unappreciated but that is not so. Even when he can not find himself, he knows he is there.