You are the bread and the knife,

The crystal goblet and the wine…

-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,

the crystal goblet and the wine.

You are the dew on the morning grass

and the burning wheel of the sun.

You are the white apron of the baker,

and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

 

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,

the plums on the counter,

or the house of cards.

And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.

There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

 

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,

maybe even the pigeon on the general’s head,

but you are not even close

to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

 

And a quick look in the mirror will show

that you are neither the boots in the corner

nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

 

It might interest you to know,

speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,

that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

 

I also happen to be the shooting star,

the evening paper blowing down an alley

and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

 

I am also the moon in the trees

and the blind woman’s tea cup.

 

But don’t worry, I’m not the bread and the knife.

You are still the bread and the knife.

You will always be the bread and the knife,

not to mention the crystal goblet and–somehow–the wine.

– Billy Collins

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Someone asked me for help deciphering this poem. What follows is my interpretation:
In the first paragraph Collins is saying “you are like the everyday beautiful things in my life” which is a wonderful thing.

In the 2nd stanza, he says BUT you’re not “ordinary” all the time.

In the 3rd stanza the reader begins to realize that Collins is playing with us (you are…, you are certainly not…) He means that the person he loves is ordinary, extraordinary, everyday, and special.

By the way his loved one is not the “boots in the corner” a plodding image, brown and not so sexy.

Then in the 5th stanza he tells us what he’s really doing in the poem…he’s using all kinds of images “speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world” and he’s doing it in a novel, interesting way…you are, you are not. He also means to be humorous. Then he talks about himself in the same way as he talked about his loved one. He’s clever..making the poem so much more interesting than just saying you are this, you are that.

Then at the end, again, we smile at him telling his loved one…”don’t worry only you are the bread and knife (essentials for life) and the crystal goblet (a beautiful metaphor) and the wine. What does that somehow do? He’s saying he doesn’t know how his loved one does it but he/she is the wine.

Collins is not making fun of anything. He’s making us marvel at his use of words. And of course what he’s just given us in the poem is a litany, a listing, a recitation or recital. But very often a litany is a prolonged or tedious account but Collins poem is anything but tedious the way he wrote it.

maryt