The poems that are depicted in the book by Hall and the book by Kenyon are
different in their topics and expression of their ideas. Though these poets seem
to be different in their work; they both seem to share a common thread. That
thread is the love that Hall and Kenyon have for each other. This is shown in
the poem "Alone for a Week" by Jane Kenyon and an untitled poem from
pg. 11 of Donald Hall "Without". Though Kenyon's poem deals with more
of a feeling of loneliness and yearning for the return that will come. Hall's
poem is about remembrance of the one he loved and yearnings for something that
he knows will not return but has to be dealt with. If we look at the poem
"Alone for a Week" by Jane Kenyon we see the details that show her
love for Hall. We see her alone at home while Hall is out of town. So she must
do things to keep her self busy while he is gone to take her mind of the fact
that he is gone. By Kenyon's word choice we get the feeling that the short time
that he is gone seem s much longer to her then it really is. She uses phrases to
express this, "…your pillow plump, cool…" These give the
impression that the pillow has not been used in a long time, as if it may never
be warmed again. But throughout the poem she is hopeful of his return soon.
Smolen 2 The untitled poem by Hall conversely is not hopeful of the return of
his wife; the reality of it has already hit him and passed. Now all he has to
live with is small, but memorable moments that may have seemed trivial to them
at the moment. These moments now are all he has to remember his wife by. The
sense of love that is found in the Kenyon poem is still there though. The way
that he lovingly describes her. Just his choice of words seem to convey the love
that he had and still does of his love. "When she was forty she came into
her beauty…" this passage reflects his love that grew more and more as
the older they got. This poem has a much darker and sadder feel to it then the
slightly carefree feeling that the Kenyon poem has. Though it feels darker than
the Kenyon poem it still has a loving feel to it, not just sadness and regret.
The poems in Jane Kenyon's "OTHERWISE" seem to be more about her
experiences. Full of scenes of her life, but mostly of her time with Hall and
also mostly of time spent in New Hampshire. On the other hand the pictures that
Hall paints for us in his book "WITHOUT", is one after the death of
his wife. This causes most of the poems to be of the sadness and loss that Hall
feels after losing the woman of his life. Though these poems seem to be about
two different themes, they both show the way that these two people both had
immense feelings for each other. To them it did not matter what happened they
would get through it no matter what, "I am Telly Savalas"