Power in Presence

Readers will likely notice the poem's meditative and calming tone from the outset. Indeed, the sonnet reads almost as a guided meditation in which the speaker encourages the reader to entertain a number of thought and sensory experiences. This structure emphasizes the poem's central theme – that noticing and appreciating one's presence in the world is by itself a form of power. The speaker tells their addressee early on to "feel / how your breath enlarges all of space," suggesting that the very act of breathing has an impact on the world around them. This image is followed by the assertion, "What feeds upon your face / grows mighty from the nourishment thus offered" (5-6). While the image of something feeding on one's face might initially seem off-putting, the speaker encourages the listener to reshape their mindset and to instead see this bizarre image as evidence of...