In what places does the speaker of the poem see the names? Describe three. "The Names" by Billy Collins
When he woke up in the palm of night, names written in the air and a name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
What places do you see?
"The Names - Billy Collins
Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name --
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on storefront windows
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner --
Kelly and Lee,
Medina, Nardella, and O'Connor.
When I peer into the woods,
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening -- weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds --
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in a green field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart."
To find the answer to your question, you can read the poem "The Names" by Billy Collins. However, I can provide a summary of three places where the speaker sees the names mentioned in the poem.
In "The Names" by Billy Collins, the speaker sees names in various locations, each with a unique significance. Here are three of those places:
1. "Names lifted from a hat": The speaker encounters names randomly chosen from a hat, possibly symbolizing chance or fate. These names are void of personal details, reducing individuals to mere names on slips of paper. This portrayal might suggest the impersonal nature of the way we commemorate victims of tragedies or wars.
2. "Names etched on the head of a pin": The speaker imagines names meticulously engraved on the tiny head of a pin. This image illustrates the delicate precision involved in remembering and honoring the victims. It highlights the need for attention and care in remembering each individual life amidst the overwhelming scale of tragedy.
3. "Names blown by the wind": The speaker observes names being carried away by the wind. This image suggests the transient nature of memory and how easily the remembrance of tragedy can be forgotten or overlooked. It reminds the reader of the importance of actively keeping memories alive and not allowing them to be lost or discarded.
To gain a deeper understanding of these places and their significance in "The Names" by Billy Collins, I encourage you to read the poem in its entirety.