More on Greenfield... (02/01/2010)

The more I think about the light metaphors in Greenfield's work, the more I experience two things: First, a sense of irony at the fact that this modern poet, who seems to write such strange, progressive poetry uses one of the oldest and most common metaphors in the book. And second, a sense of relief at this hint that person who is seemingly so troubled that his words are undecipherable to me, still uses some modes of comparison that are similar to my own.
The idea of light as being pure, right, divine, or truthful is ancient. Sun Gods have existed for millenia. The Bible is filled with metaphors about light: http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/1722/Light-as-Metaphor-of-Truth.htm. There is something about light that makes it one of the few things that is at once a mystery and yet still comforting. Other things like darkness, death, or even something as earth-bound as going to a new school, have a sense of mystery about them that is often frightening to people. Light, on the other hand, people view as a symbol of safety and warmth. http://www.unique-design.net/library/word/light.html
Reviewing my notes on A Carnage In The Lovetrees, I think that this may be true for Greenfield as well. He uses light in a variety of ways, positive and negative. It is like he relies on the light falling to illuminate the truth of any situation. In an abstract sense, I wonder if this 'comfort from light' is the reason that I too grasped onto this concept out of all that I could not understand in the poetry collection.