Poetry Response #4

In the poem “Blackberries for Amelia”, Richard Wilbur describes how blackberries transform from leaves to petals to fruit. He is painting a picture in the reader’s mind of nature and how the seasons change from spring, summer, and fall. He uses the blackberries to represent the beginning of a new year that will hopefully be prosperous. It is when one would plant the seeds and anticipate their growth. The fruit itself symbolizes summer where one does not have to worry about anything and just have fun. In addition, the seasons will return each year just like the berries. They give life stability and meaning since they are a constant in our lives.

In addition to just talking about seasons and landscapes, Wilbur compares blackberry leaves and their flowers to stars. He says their leaves reach “out in fans of five” and their flowers have “small, five-petalled blooms of chalky white.” He is making a connection between the flowers and leaves to having five points just like stars do. In addition, they are milky in color just like the celestial bodies. From here, the author becomes pessimistic because he suggests that the universe (stars) and the blackberries might not last for forever. However, Wilbur does not seem too concerned with this idea since he does not have time to worry about it. It seems he has accepted the idea and would rather spend time picking the juicy fruit and spending time with his grandchild. In conclusion, it seems the general theme for this poem is that man should accept the reality of dying and that he should live his life to its fullest and spend time doing things that are important to him.