‘Crescent’ is written by the modern American poet C. D. Wright. Wright’s poetry often includes a sense of time and place. She employs a number of voices in order to bring home her ideas. Her inventive style and novel art of writing surface in this poem. She presents a speaker who seems musing over the nocturnal sky, the crescent moon, and the ambiance around her. There is a craving to be in the present in the speaker’s tone.
Summary
‘Crescent’ by C. D. Wright describes how a speaker is determined to draw happiness from the nocturnal scene.
This poem is loose in ints subject matter. It skips from one matter to another without fixating attention to a single idea. The beginning seems like a proclamation of the speaker. She somehow wants to draw happiness from all that is available. Then she goes on to describe the nocturnal sky. Suddenly, the voice gets involved with a personal topic regarding her past relationship. She welcomes the partner to share the joy with her. He needs not to fear to unwrap his heart to her.
You can read the full poem here.
Detailed Analysis
Lines 1-9
In recent months I have become intent on seizing happi-
(…)
an idea of the damages: you would let edges be edges:
The modern lyric ‘Crescent’ opens with a reference to a recent change in a speaker’s life. Nowadays, she is more determined to draw happiness from her life instead of focusing on mundane things. This need makes her paint her mind’s canvas with a soft, soothing blue color. She draws it with various shades of blue. There is only one difference between her mind and the sky outside. The sky contains numerous stars that glow like honeysuckle flowers.
In the meantime, the speaker tries to find a new kind of movement within her dress. This movement is more abstract than sensual. Only her room creates a hindrance in this internal process. She tries to break free of the four walls of her room to embrace nature.
Outside, she finds the silver surface of water metaphorically compared to the “skin”. According to her, if one cuts through the water, the core retains its fluidity. It seems the speaker is talking about her mind which is still fluid. In the following line, the speaker addresses her partner and asks whether he still sees her as a locust clinging to a branch. She takes responsibility for the damages caused to his heart. There is no need to rectify its pointy edges.
Lines 10-20
believe me: when their eyes poured over your long body
(…)
nightly toward its brightness and we are on it.
In the next lines of ‘Crescent,’ it seems the poetic persona is addressing the moon. It occurs to her as a “long body of poetry”. When others took pleasure in its scenic beauty, she was also there. They trusted in the moon’s grace (or it can be a reference to the creator). But she had to step outside as she was not ready to appreciate the majestic view.
In the next lines, the speaker talks about her partner. She goes back to the past and thinks of how they looked at each other. The goodness of the night sky did not overtake them. Whenever she remembers those days, she finds the same craving within herself.
In the next lines, the speaker draws her partner’s attention toward her and assures her not to fear. The world keeps revolving in its own brightness and they are, fortunately, on its brighter side. In this way, the speaker glorifies her relationship with either nature or her partner.
Structure
Wright’s ‘Crescent’ is a free-verse lyric poem. It is told from the perspective of a first-person speaker. There are a total of 22 lines in the poem. The lines are not divided into specific stanzas. Besides, there is no regular rhyme or meter. Regarding the structure of the poem, Wright makes use of several clauses and joins them together in a single line. To understand the sense of a particular unit, readers have to go through a number of lines. Apart from that, there are repetitions of similar sounds that create internal rhymings.
Literary Devices
Wright makes use of the following literary devices in ‘Crescent’.
- Enjambment: The poet uses this device to connect the lines internally. For example, it occurs in the first three lines of the poem.
- Metaphor: The “honeysuckle” is used as a metaphor of stars. It can also be a possible reference to the color of the night sky.
- Alliteration: It occurs in “watch the water”, “silver/ skin”, “beneath the blueness”, etc.
- Imagery: Throughout this piece, Wright uses visual imagery in order to depict the night scene. She also uses organic imagery to share the speaker’s inner emotions.
FAQs
Carolyn D. Wright’s poem ‘Crescent’ is a thoughtful poem about the influence of nature on a speaker’s mind. This piece describes how a speaker cherishes the nocturnal beauty and takes pleasure in it.
It is a free-verse lyric poem that is written from the perspective of a first-person speaker. The text consists of a total of 22 lines that are grouped together in a single stanza. Besides, there is no set rhyme scheme or metrical pattern in the poem.
This poem explores some important themes that include beauty, nature, desire, and memories. Wright describes how a speaker finds happiness from nature’s beauty and drowns herself in the thoughts of the past.
The tone of the poem is emotive, thoughtful, nostalgic, and peaceful. This piece details the impact of nocturnal beauty on a speaker’s mind. Hence, the tone remains calm throughout the text.
Similar Poems
Readers can find similar themes used in C. D. Wright’s ‘Crescent’ in the following poems.
- ‘Nocturne: Blue Waves’ — This piece is about a speaker’s feelings about nocturnal brokenness.
- ‘A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day’ — This poem details a lover’s grief after the death of his dear one.
- ‘Moonshine’ — In this poem, readers can find the themes of love, relationships, and loneliness.
You can explore more of C. D. Wright’s poems.
