Porch In Snow by Joanna Klink

The first three words in poem say it all, “There you are.” She immediately incorporates the reader into the world of her poem, which I think makes it much easier to not only read, but also to relate to. By doing so, Joanna has allowed me to visualize her words in my head, which I think creates one aspect of silence because the words are imagined instead of spoken; this is not a poem that I read out loud to myself. In addition, the poem’s title, Porch In Snow, also brings a feeling of “silence” to the poem. When I think of a porch and snow falling, I imagine a peaceful, quiet image; there is absolutely no noise to be heard, and I think this image contributes greatly to the poem’s “silence” theme.
Perhaps the most important parts of the poem to consider are the key words that she has placed throughout the poem which also convey images of silence. In the second line of the poem the word “silence” helps to immediately direct the reader to noiseless images; and, as I stated earlier, the image of snow falling is itself a “quiet” scene. In addition, numerous emotion words are scattered throughout the poem (sadness, feeling, sorrow), which also help to convey silent feelings.
All of these aspects help the “silence” theme flow throughout the poem, but for me, one line puts the entire poem into perspective. Near the end of the poem, the line which reads, “This also comes into the winter garden,” is the most important in my mind. A garden is a peaceful, lush place by itself, but a winter garden is cold, quiet, and lonely; these words echoed in my mind as I read the rest of the poem, and they seem to really “sum it up” in just a few words.