Susan Jarvis Bryant’s poetry pulsates with a vibrant appreciation for the natural world, transforming everyday encounters into moments of profound beauty. Through the lens of her poetic camera, she captures not just images, but the very essence of life, inviting us to pause, observe, and marvel at the wonders that surround us. This exploration delves into three of her poems – “Still,” “Exposure,” and “Shots” – analyzing their shared theme of nature photography and the unique perspectives each offers.
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The Art of Seeing in “Still”
“Still” embodies the Emersonian ideal of truly seeing nature, not just glancing at it. Bryant’s keen eye picks out the “gauzy glint of scudding dragonflies” and the “butterfly’s sartorial gaiety,” transforming these fleeting moments into enduring images. Her lens captures the “purple sparkle” of a dew-kissed crocus, immortalizing the “solar-swathed panache” of dawn.
The poem emphasizes the power of observation to transcend even the dreariest of days, reminding us that “pictorial glory begs I stop and stare.” From the “pollen-peppered legs of bees” to the “shy moon on the rise,” Bryant’s poetic camera reveals the hidden beauty in the mundane, elevating the ordinary to the extraordinary. This detailed observation extends beyond the visually striking to encompass the subtle sounds and textures of the natural world.
The poem culminates in a celebration of creation, describing the captured images as “accolades to Eden’s sacred core.” This sense of reverence underscores the poem’s central message: that the art of seeing nature is, in itself, an act of worship, a glimpse of “heaven gracing earth.”
Confronting Fear in “Exposure”
“Exposure” takes a different approach, exploring the transformative power of observation through the lens of fear and fascination. The poem opens with the speaker’s encounter with a snake, a “fiend of scaly skin,” evoking a primal sense of dread. Yet, even as “goosebumps spread,” the speaker’s eye is drawn to the snake’s “checker-patterned draw,” its beauty momentarily eclipsing fear.
This shift from fear to fascination highlights the power of observation to change our perceptions. The snake, initially a “ghoul,” becomes a “graceful jewel,” its “russet eyes and olive head” appreciated as “flairs of fine design.” The camera, in this context, acts as a mediator, allowing the speaker to approach the feared object from a safe distance, transforming fear into understanding and appreciation.
The poem concludes with the hope of complete healing, envisioning a future where the speaker can observe even a rattlesnake “sans shivers of resistance.” This aspiration underscores the poem’s core message: that the act of observing, of truly seeing, can conquer even our deepest fears.
The Joy of Capture in “Shots”
“Shots,” a rondeau, captures the sheer exhilaration of nature photography. The poem pulsates with energy, reflecting the “buzz” and “gleam” that the speaker craves. The camera becomes an extension of the self, an instrument for capturing the fleeting beauty of “stratus cloud and citrus beam,” the “rush in spark of firefly,” and “cirrus trips in tangerine.”
This joy of capture extends to all aspects of nature, from “lush leas of green” to the “bird, the bud, the beetle’s sheen.” The repetitive phrase, “I feel the buzz,” reinforces the addictive nature of this pursuit, the constant desire to “hit the phlox and foxglove scene” and immortalize it in a photograph. The poem culminates in a feeling of euphoria, a “high” induced by the act of capturing beauty.
A Shared Vision
These three poems, though distinct in their approach, share a common thread: the celebration of nature through the lens of photography. Whether capturing the stillness of a dew-kissed crocus, confronting the fear of a snake, or reveling in the joy of capturing a fleeting moment, Susan Jarvis Bryant’s poetry invites us to see the world anew, to appreciate the extraordinary beauty that resides in the ordinary. Her poetic camera becomes our own, allowing us to experience the wonder and awe that she so eloquently captures in her verse.