Billy Collins Poetry: Coming Of Age

Poetry, loved by some, hated by others, but one way or another one is coerced or driven to read it. Poet’s for years use poetry to express feelings, emotions, circumstances, or to share their thoughts on death, and life. Billy Collins is a well acclaimed American born poet that uses humor to lighten a serious subject, as well as, making his poems less formal allowing readers to relate to them easier. “Collins has striven to write poetry that is "hospitable" (a word he prefers to "accessible") to his readers” (Bell). For instance, Collins’ 1998 poem “On Turning Ten,” is a coming of age story in which the narrator, a boy, the age of nine, recollects his early childhood and becomes dismayed about aging. In this poem, he uses simple techniques

At this point, he has recognized that he must give up his childish ways, yet he views aging as a curse more than a blessing. “This is the beginning of sadness/as I walk through the universe in my sneakers/it is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends” (25-27). “Time to turn the first big number” (28). this line explains that he knows that he will continue to grow older with or without consent. By recollecting his childhood, the boy realizes that life will only get harder. Much like the beginning stanza the last stanza, the narrator’s thoughts turn heavy and reflective. “It seems only yesterday I used to believe/there was nothing under my skin but light/if you cut me I would shine” (29-30). This signifies as a child, he would just brush off the hardships that would come his way, as if he was invincible. “But now if I fall upon the sidewalks of life/ I skin my knees. I bleed” (32-33). In line thirty-two, the poet, Billy Collin’s uses a sidewalk as a metaphor for life. Sidewalks are often uneven, broken, and rough, as well as injuring those who fall upon it. The boy states that he will fall on the sidewalks of life, no longer being invincible as he once