Billy Dark

Hunger by Billy Collins?

It goes a little something like this:

The fox you lug over your shoulder
in a dark sack
has cut a hole with a knife
and escaped.

The sudden lightness makes you think
you are stronger
as you walk back to your small cottage
through a forest that covers the world.

I’m a fan of Billy Collins, but this one poem escapes me completely. Not even my teacher can break it down for me.

Help please.

I’m surprised your teacher was at a loss on this one. The “fox” you lugged over your shoulder is anything you thought “in the bag”, or “success”…when it escapes, your arrogance makes you think you’re stronger instead of realizing that you’ve lost what you thought was secure. Your “cottage” in a forrest that “covers the world” refers to the fact that no matter how great your house, it is a lonely spot on a very big planet and no matter in what esteem you may hold it, or yourself, in the end you’re very insignificant…the fact that you consider it your sanctuary is probably a reflection of the importance you attribute to your own existence. Finally, one more note on the “fox”…it also represents not just success, but long sought success, because it wasn’t a “stupid prey”, it was a fox that you outwitted…and when you finally think you have what you have so long sought for, you need to pay closer attention to it instead of taking the future for granted.

hope this helps

Billy Squier – In the Dark