Trudell is an independent scholar with a bachelor's degree in English literature. In the following essay, Trudell examines the relationship of this poem to the other poems in Hirsch's collection, focusing on the themes of fate and God.

For a short poem, "Omen" brings up a great variety of themes, but its true implications seem somewhat underdeveloped until they are placed into context within Wild Gratitude. Images, symbols, and metaphors only briefly alluded to in "Omen" attain a broader significance and develop much more profoundly when considered along with the other poems of the collection. Fate and God are crucial themes in "Omen," but Hirsch's deeper implications about these ideas become clearer after the reader has examined the allusions to a higher power in its companion poems.

This is not to say that the poem fails to stand by itself; it is a powerful tribute to Hirsch's...