The Pool by Hilda Doolittle

I chose The Pool by Hilda Doolittle. because it is such an unusually title for this poem. H.D. starts the poem by saying “Are you alive? I touch you. You quiver like a sea-fish” (H.D. pg 395) This is what came to me when I read it. I did not think of a pool or any sea terms but a different interpretation that maybe a little far off. I pictured a homeless person lying in a cold street in a desolate city. A woman goes over to see if this homeless person is still alive, so she goes over to grab this homeless person and sees that this person is shivering. “I cover you with my net.” (H.D. pg 395) Out of the goodness of her heart she gives this homeless person her jacket. Her “net” for warmth. “What are you----banded one” (H.D. pg 395) I feel that after she gave her jacket to warm this homeless person, she wanted to know more about this homeless person. Branded one also strikes me because banded means marked with bands of different or contrasting colors. I have this vision of this homeless person that is very white, dirty, has a rose color nose because of the cold, and greasy black hair. With all of these different unique colors that this person has she is seeing many contrasts in colors in this homeless person.

--- Richard Liptak