A BREATH OF AWE
Chris mann
Chris mann
In Grahamstown’s Public Library
I read that we are towers of cells,
trillions and trillions of sedulous cells,
each one more complex than a town.
I turned the page, once more amazed
at life’s deep daring and finesse.
The library clock ticked on, unfazed.
I learned that vast encyclopaedias
were racked inside a chromosome
and microbes moleculed the past.
In some a filament whirred round,
I read with disbelief, then shock,
more than a hundred thousand times
with each slow ticking of that clock.
Beside a book, a phone-screen lit.
Home time, it said. I stood intent
to live each day with greater awe,
yet walking out that reading room
I saw grey rain gust in the door
and anxious faces hurrying past
and huddled beggars, as before.
I read that we are towers of cells,
trillions and trillions of sedulous cells,
each one more complex than a town.
I turned the page, once more amazed
at life’s deep daring and finesse.
The library clock ticked on, unfazed.
I learned that vast encyclopaedias
were racked inside a chromosome
and microbes moleculed the past.
In some a filament whirred round,
I read with disbelief, then shock,
more than a hundred thousand times
with each slow ticking of that clock.
Beside a book, a phone-screen lit.
Home time, it said. I stood intent
to live each day with greater awe,
yet walking out that reading room
I saw grey rain gust in the door
and anxious faces hurrying past
and huddled beggars, as before.
Mann, Chris. “A Breath
of Awe.” The Literator. 2007. Web. 10
Sept. 2014.<http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poem/item/12591/auto/Chris-Mann-A-Breath-of-Awe>.
To me, A Breath of Awe expresses
the idea that though human life is brilliant and beautiful, people still go
about life as usual getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life,
not truly appreciating what they have and what is around them. In the poem the
speaker realizes how amazing even something as simple as a clock is (among
other things) and is in awe, as the title explains, but later leaves the
library only to find life going on as usual. The poem reflects a more universal
perspective because this is not just true for one specific culture. No matter
where you are or who you are sometimes due to the stresses of life or the fact
that we are so used to the things that we have, we take things for granted and
forget how spectacular they are or how lucky we are. This poem caught my eye
because skimming through the poems I noticed this one opened in a library and I
was instantly intrigued, assuming that the Breath of Awe was actually about the
beauty of literature or books or something of that nature. What made me
actually decide to choose this one was the fact that it was surprisingly not
actually about that and developed a theme more about appreciating the everyday
things in life, which I found refreshing.
This is a beautiful poem! I definitely agree with your thoughts on it. I love how the poem focuses on something as normal as cells, DNA, and chromosomes, but with a sense of wonder and awe that befits the title. This wonder is brief, though, and quickly goes away once the speaker exits the library (the short "breath" part of the title).
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