Lewis'sWalking Away? and Russell Hoban'sSummer Recorded? are two poems about joyful memories now lost in the sands of time. Both use metaphoric language, and similies to describe the loss and joy the poet feels inside. Both poets use vivid imagery to leave portraits in the reader's mind of nature's beauty. Yet,Walking away? is a memory of the child he lost, while letting him grow up. While,Summer recorded plays the happy memories of a time now long lost in the past. .
?Walking Away?, describes the loss C. D. Lewis feels when taking his son to[his] first game of football? (L3). He feels he is watching his songo drifting away? (L5). He hashad worse partings? (L16) yet no parting annoys him as much as this one:but none that so gnaws at my mind still? (L17). WhereasSummer Recorded? remembers beautiful times now lost, and how R. Hoban would adore having them back. He has known daysof warm winds drowsing in the heat? (L17). He remembersdays briefly lived, that leave long music in the mind? (L9). The reader feels the poet wants these days back, for heplay[s] them and rewind[s]? (L10).
Each poem describes the loss of something once joyful, by their use of metaphoric language and similies. InWalking Away? the poet feels he is watching his sonlike a satellite wrenched from nits orbit, go drifting away? (L5). He wants his son to have a straight path, set out for him. Yet, his sonfinds no path where the path should be?(L10). There is no life set out for anyone, yet C. Day Lewis wants his son's life to be written down so his son know what to expect, no one can do this so Lewis has to let his son reap his own path in the world. He looks at his sonlike a winged seed loosened from its parent stem?. Not yet fully grown, but trying to be older than he is and leaving the family anyway, the son is growing. Summer Recorded? is likea tape recorder that plays slower than it should? (L1). When R. Hoban remembers his lost, joyful summers, it feels like the days are remembered longer than they should.
