Practical Water Poem Analysis

Water is known the world over as a fount in which the foundations of life are built upon. It symbolizes freedom. It symbolizes rebirth. It symbolizes purity. Yet, the actuality of water in today’s world does not meet those same criteria. Exploited, polluted, and dammed are often words that come to mind when I look at how the human race manages their water. It is through ironies like this, which show the true extent of damage the Earth faces. Brenda Hillman in her work Practical Water echoes this through her poems concerning the environment and its downfall. In poetry we dwell, but it is impossible to dwell on something whose base is crumbling. Like the polar bear on the lone ice float in the Arctic Ocean, we too now find ourselves desperately
We are in a cycle of despair and hope. When we see an approaching storm, we are aware of the damage it may bring, but we also know it will not last forever. These lines seem to bring comfort, as if a mother saying “it is all going to be okay”. Although “okay” may be the extinction of species and increased desertification, whatever happens; life will continue. This may be a grimmer world than we wish to live in, but life for the human race will endure. We must get through the bad days, to reach the
It was used in my Earth Science class in the hope that the visual aid would help me remember the definition. In a likewise manner, Hillman uses the imagery of a delta shape to elaborate and highlight her poem. (See Figure 1) This shape is unique to this poem, no other work in the book has this same figure. And through this shape, the whole poem seems to be leading us to one particular line. This tip of the arrow reads, “& streams that are sometimes enough” (line 7). Sometimes enough. That seems to be a phrase that resonates with us more and more every day. Sometimes enough votes to block a bill that will hurt more people than it will help, sometimes enough people raising their voice to speak on the behalf of an animal who