The Snow Is Deep On The Ground
Kenneth Patchen
Kenneth Patchen
He was very experimental during his career, attracting a following amongst youth with his timeless views and beliefs. He wrote a lot of antiwar poems which caught interest of students protesting the Vietnam War. Kenneth was also one of the first to read his work to the background of jazz. Most of his work was themed around the greatness of spontaneity and attacks on materialism, war, and injustices (http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poet/kenneth-patchen).
The Snow Is Deep On The Ground
The snow is deep on the ground.
Always the light falls
Softly down on the hair of my beloved.
This is a good world.
The war has failed.
God shall not forget us.
Who made the snow waits where love is.
Only a few go mad.
The sky moves in its whiteness
Like the withered hand of an old king.
God shall not forget us.
Who made the sky knows of our love.
The snow is beautiful on the ground.
And always the lights of heaven glow
Softly down on the hair of my beloved.
Always the light falls
Softly down on the hair of my beloved.
This is a good world.
The war has failed.
God shall not forget us.
Who made the snow waits where love is.
Only a few go mad.
The sky moves in its whiteness
Like the withered hand of an old king.
God shall not forget us.
Who made the sky knows of our love.
The snow is beautiful on the ground.
And always the lights of heaven glow
Softly down on the hair of my beloved.
Interpretation/Theme
The overlying message in this poem is that in the end love will prevail, and God will help guide through the process. While God is making the world a good place and ending war, he will not forget about anyone.The lines that say, "The sky moves in its whiteness like the withered hand of an old king.", is a great use of visual imagery. When it says king, it is alluding to God. The main theme of this poem is that God is watching over everyone and is the creator of beautiful things, such as love and snow.
Glory, Glory--Kenneth Patchen