Amy Lowell, The Pike

This poem reminds me to much of a poem by Elizabeth Bishop called “The Fish”. In both poems the elements of Imigism come through as a style that although beautifully versed, seems to lack an emotional aspect that is prevalent in a lot of other poetry. The poem is literally about a pike being illustrated as it swims away in a flash of shining color. What else is there to say about the poem? Is it supposed to help symbolize a fleeting moment, or perhaps a missed opportunity? looking for hints of meaning in “in the brown water” (line 1), and “Through sun-thickened water.” (line 13) I try to imagine that the setting has anything to do with the meaning. Does one find beauty in a unexpected place? I believe that the goals of imagism, which this poem is an epitome of is that it merely describes an image in poetical verse. It is like the equivalent of an artist painting a still life picture. It is art in itself.