Jennifer M. Handy
English 3180A
Bartlett
July 5, 2007
Awakening of Connection
Imagery is among one of the strongest instruments used by poets in the writing of
poetry. Often times, the imagery exists very much on the surface of the poem, using
words that evoke solid images such as trees, birds, light etc. These images are often at the
heart of the poem, allowing the reader to become engulfed within the image, yet
sometimes, the imagery contains a hidden or double meaning that is much more likely the
author’s intent. In the poem “After Making Love We Hear Footsteps”, Galway Kinnell
utilizes the elements of free-verse and careful stanza construction to illuminate the
surface imagery and further enhance the underlying theme of the interconnectedness of
sex and love as the keystones of universal connection.
An overview of the poem relays the image of a man reflecting on the moment
when he and his wife are lying in bed after making love and their child (Fergus) comes
running in to snuggle with them. This is an image that most people can easily visualize,
whether or not they have been in the same situation. The surface image is simple enough
for anyone to understand; this is a poem about a parent’s love for their child. However, it
is when one looks at the structure and partnering of words that another image comes
suddenly into view. In fact, Kinnell specifically chooses the layout of the poem to tell the
readers that they should look a bit closer at the meaning.
Within the first few lines of the poem, the author reveals the complexity of the
outward-seeming simplicity of the poem. The author cleverly directs the first part of the
poem toward the audience. It seems, at first, that he is merely opening the scene,
however, when the author writes,
For I can snore like a bullhorn
or play loud music
or sit up talking with any reasonably sober Irishman
and Fergus will only sink deeper
into his dreamless sleep, which goes by all in one flash, (1-5)
he is in fact making a statement to the reader about the use of imagery within the poem.
In these lines, the author uses words like “bullhorn”, “loud”, and “reasonably sober” to
contrast the use of blatant images with the concept of subtle imagery. While the author
could just simply say that he loves his child and that when the three of them are together,
the love is obvious, he chooses instead to utilize the power of imagery and fully engulf
the reader in the emotions felt. In doing so, he relates the image of Fergus to that of the
reader; for like Fergus, the reader will often attempt to block out that which is obnoxious
like a bullhorn. Rather, it is in the moments of quiet and hushed reflection that, again like
Fergus, the reader feels most involved within the moment. Kinnell, utilizing this concept
perfectly, furthers the development of the imagery throughout the first stanza.
In the next lines, “but let there be that heavy breathing/ or stifled come-cry
anywhere in the house” (6-7) Kinnell draws the focus of the poem wholly into the image
of intimacy that he is creating, and in doing so, begins to fully unveil his intention.
Kinnell specifically uses words about sex that relate an image of love and tenderness,
such as, “after making love, quiet, touching …/ familiar touch of the long married, (1011). There is no vulgar image, no lurid expressions of passion, only affection. It is this
tender loving that awakens the child, both in the poem and within the reader. There is a
sense brought on by the poem that the author is alluding to the fact that this entire image,
though it is of separate people, is all contained within the emotions of the individual. The
moment and all aspects of it, reside within one person and all of it “in one flash” (4).
Kinnell is relating this concept not just to the individuals listed within the poem, but by
connecting the reader to the child he brings that connection to the reader. Furthermore, it
is in this first stanza, that Kinnell goes yet another step further in detailing the image of
interconnectedness by shaping the poem in a very deliberate manner.
The entire poem is comprised of only two stanzas, with the first stanza being the
longest. In fact, the bulk of the poem’s imagery resides within the first stanza. What is
most interesting about this is that the whole of the first stanza is one sentence. There is a
slight break in train-of-thought (9-12) but overall, the first stanza is one complete
uninterrupted moment. By constructing the poem in this manner the author is able to
further the concept of wholeness, or oneness through love. The fact that the entire image
is constructed of gentle feelings and playful love which is bound together as a stream of
thought enhances this point. Yet, Kinnell goes even further to broaden the scope of love
and sex as the keystones of universal connection in other manners as well. Time also
becomes intertwined with the whole of this image.
Within the first stanza, Kinnell uses images that evoke the concept of past,
present, and future. The author talks about the past through images that have occurred
over and over, (e.g. how noises don’t wake the child) thus creating a sense of the past. He
then shifts the image to the present by stating, “- as now, we lie together,” (9). The use of
the word “now “clearly evokes the image of the present. Next, he takes the reader into the
future using the phrase, “which one day may make him wonder” (13) which fully leads
the image into the realm of the future. And finally, he sums up this concept of the
interconnectedness of not just persons, but feelings and time in the last stanza. With the
line, “this blessing love gives again into our arms” (23) the concept of full-circle is
related to the reader. There is an overwhelming sense of one thing being bound to another
repeatedly throughout time. It is in this second stanza that Kinnell solidifies the imagery
into the concept of universal connection.
Throughout the first stanza Kinnell carefully constructs the imagery to draw the
reader in, to make the reader feel a part of the scene. It is in the second stanza that
Kinnell leaves the reader with no doubt that this connection is to be shared by the reader.
By making a point not to name Fergus as the child in the second stanza, but rather simply
calling the child, “this one whom…” (21) he allows the child to be anyone. He calls out
to the innocent intimacy that all persons, child or adult, can relate to. Each person is
propelled to the ground of their making (21) by the calling and sounds of love. It is with
these lines that Kinnell directs with full force the concept of universal connection, not
just within the family, not just within the poem, but within all persons who are willing to
listen to the mortal sounds and be awoken to the concept (22-23) of the woven intimacy
of sex and love.
Sex and love are not always synonymous. However, Kinnell makes the point to
demonstrate that through love and sex, a universal connection is created. It is one that
almost anyone can relate to. It is an image of peace and calm and there is tenderness and
affection existing with in its depths. Each person is drawn to the intimacy of these two
concepts through the very essence of memory. Kinnell emphasizes this idea by
constructing a poem which utilizes the elements of free-verse. He is able to encapsulate
the various notions of interconnectedness by shaping the poem in a manner which reflects
the entirety of a repeated moment. The use of free-verse allows this image to come to
light. He also involves the reader by using subtle imagery that invites the reader to look at
the whole of the poem. And it is with the whole of the poem that the author is able to
summarize the concept of time’s relentless involvement with the universal connection.
By carefully constructing the poem, and willfully utilizing the space and elements that
free-verse allows, the otherwise obnoxious and blatant image of love and sex becomes a
delicate and intimate connection for all readers.