In “Visitation”, Eamon Grennan writes about observing a flock of Canadian geese migrating at night, somehow lit from below. The poet manages, in this anecdotal piece, to impart the sense of brief wonder that passes through the narrator during the geese’s brief visitation. The poet uses a variety of techniques to give the reader a sense of being present on the December night about which he writes. The strategies that I found effective include a focus on visual imagery, enjambment and alliteration. The poem conveys the connection that the narrator felt between himself and the geese he saw flying mysteriously overhead in the night.
“Visitation” does not follow a set form. Grennan does not make use of end-line rhyme patterns or meter. Therefore, the majority of his stylistic choices take the form of line-break decisions and alliteration. As in any free-verse poem, focus inevitably falls on where lines begin and end, as this is one of the only formal features of poetic form always present in free verse. In “Visitation”, the narrator addresses an acquaintance (their relationship never becomes fully clear; however, it seems most likely to be a romantic relationship) who he watched the geese with. While addressing this subject, as he does for the entirety of the poem, the narrator revisits and considers their experience the night before, when they watched the geese. Grennan’s use of enjambment carries the reader along with the pace of the story without rushing too much. I say without rushing because, for the most part, the enjambment does not carry absolute necessity. That is, oftentimes the reader could pause at the end of the line; however, the enjambment encourages the reader to continue, drawing him along with the story. This lends the poem a sense of continuity, much like that of a story or reminiscence spoken aloud. An example of Grennan’s enjambment makes the intended effect clear, “see what neither of us had ever seen / before: a burnished flock of Canada geese, bent / into a flexed bow” (Grennan, lines 2-4). Without this enjambment the tone would become more that of a series of not as well connected thoughts. Line-endings are not the only area in which Grennan uses poetic technique towards his goal.
Alliteration and visual imagery (primarily of light) dominate “Visitation”, Grennan uses both of these techniques to the effect of drawing contrast between this night and regular experience. To the narrator, this night and the geese stands out sharply against the rest of Winter’s monotonous darkness. This experience is all the more unusual and mysterious because it occurs in Winter and features the colors and light that are absent from this season, particularly at night. Therefore, Grennan aims to highlight the unique nature of the narrator’s experience by bringing reader attention to the aspects that make it unusual. Nearly all of the imagery in this poem is visual, specifically imagery of warm colors and light. Grennan writes, “The geese were lit to the shade / of tarnished gold or dead oak leaves hanging still / in sunshine” (Grennan, lines 10-11). Clearly, the images in this passage are not those of winter; tarnished gold, oak leaves, and sunshine certainly belong nowhere near a dark December night. However, they are present and this helps the reader understand how much this experience stands out. Grennan also uses alliteration, such as “the December dark” (Grennan, ln 1) or “how could they be lit from below like that” (Grennan, ln 19) to lend the story a sense of mystery and differentiate it from the everyday.
The Canada geese in the December Night that Grennan writes about provide a brief glimpse of warmth, of light, and of happiness to the dreary heart of winter. Their presence is a mystery to the narrator; however, he enjoys and wonders in their appearance nonetheless. He feels briefly transported to a different place by their presence. The geese make this winter night feel “for a little while neither cold / nor dark” (Grennan lines 27-28). Grennan is able, through his use of enjambment, alliteration and visual imagery, to make the reader feel present in the reliving of the narrator’s experience. In addition, the poem brings the light, the warmth and the wonder that the narrator felt, to the reader; this stands out to me as Grennan’s key achievement in “Visitation”
