O 6th September 2021 – I am awaiting my radio appearance on BBC Essex – my old stomping ground of Essex University. I’m going to talk about Echo, which you can read on this site.
I wrote it quite a while back in the Summer of 2020, when we spent a lot of time in the garden, locked down. It describes a real moment- a rare moment of stillness and peace for me – although, as you can see, even then I composed a poem! My brain never stops.
It illustrates my obsession for detail – how I see even the tiny things. I also love to choose very precise language to convey a specific image that I can see. For example, ‘indefensible’ to describe the web as really vulnerable to attack, even breath might break it, but it still holds on, really strong. This could also link to all nature, and all of human nature, and human beings. the theme is definitely fragility and strength. Some might say it is a very feminine poem (a la Dickinson?) because of those themes, but this could be any gender and relate to the mind, or character.
It becomes slightly darker in tone in the final stanza- it’s the feeling that even peace can be deceptive that incessant echoing drip was actually a dripping I could hear in the water butt – however, it could be a metaphor for something nagging away at the back of the brain – a thing left undone, or unsaid perhaps? Or the way we distract ourselves with noise, but eventually we have those nights of silence – which can be deafening! It also alludes to the way small things, though, leave imprints – or echoes – even poor Echo in her cave left an imprint – an echo is already history by the time you hear it, and things come and go in cycles darkness AND dawn! So perhaps it ends with a bit of optimism?
Virginia Betts 