A View of Poetry

July 17,1994 My favorite poem for many years was Edna St.Vincent Millay's "Renascence."
When I first encountered this work there was much about it I did not understand including the title. In fact, I could not pronounce the word. I asked my mother if she knew how to say it and she said, "no." She seemed irritated. She read very little and never for pleasure that I can recall. My father read even less and was easily intimidated by his daughter and her discovery of poetry.
So I pronounced it to myself as "Ren-A-Sance". Other troublesome words were omniscience, sepulchred, and myriad, but the beauty of the idea of being spiritually reborn was mine! I grasped it the first time I read the poem and in the re-reading of those words, I slowly (with the help of a dictionary) began to absorb the meanings.
When reading "Renascence", my voice took on a natural, musical quality and I read it out loud to anyone who would listen. I especially loved accenting the phrase, "a drenched and dripping apple tree." I almost whispered it for emphasis. I was indeed impressed by the words and the way they evoked the mood Ms. Millay was attempting to convey. I loved her instantly and tried to read all I could find of her work.
Forty years after my discovery of Renascence, I type my stories into my computer. I let the thoughts flow, scrambled sometimes, smoothly and flawlessly at others. When I edit my paper I hear Millay. I read on the page that is oozing out of my printer her voice, her thoughts. I hope I read her approval, her acceptance, and love.