"To Dorothy" by Marvin Bell

1) Poem:

To Dorothy
 You are not beautiful, exactly.
You are beautiful, inexactly.
You let a weed grow by the mulberry
and a mulberry grow by the house.
So close, in the personal quiet
of a windy night, it brushes the wall
and sweeps away the day till we sleep.

A child said it, and it seemed true:
“Things that are lost are all equal.”
But it isn’t true. If I lost you,
the air wouldn’t move, nor the tree grow.
Someone would pull the weed, my flower.
The quiet wouldn’t be yours. If I lost you,
I’d have to ask the grass to let me sleep.
--Marvin Bell

2) Vocabulary:  mulberry:the edible, berrylike collective fruit of any tree of                                      the genus Morus OR a tree of this genus.
  
3) Analysis: 

     A) Paraphrase or the first stanza: The speaker thinks Dorothy is beautiful because of her flaws and characteristics that make her unique. The speaker is content to sleep alongside his love in their personal quiet.
        Paraphrase of the second stanza: The speaker says how some think that everything that is lost is the same and doesn't matter but he disagrees. He says that if he lost Dorothy, his world would be over, there would be no more contented silence, just lonely silence and he would wish for death.

    B) Theme: There are a few themes to this poem. One is that beauty is not about perfection. True beauty is about being imperfect and love is strongest when those imperfections are accepted and appreciated by those in love. Another theme is that true love is one where the people in love can not live without each other. They would rather die than to be without the one they love. This poem is a love poem which identifies the real meanings of beauty and love.


4) Personal Connection: This poem is one of my favorites for a few reasons, the obvious one being that is is downright adorable, especially because Marvin Bell wrote it for his wife Dorothy. But besides the "aww" aspect of it, the fact that the poem was not a conventional love poem also drew me to it. Instead of fawning over a lover, the poem instead focuses what characteristics make her unique by saying that she is "beautiful, inexactly". He accepts her flaws which I think is key to any love. Any person would want to be with someone who loves them for who they are and doesn't expect them to be perfect. This poem shows unconditional love which I find beautiful and heart-warming.

 

  

To Dorothy

  by Marvin Bell

You are not beautiful, exactly.
You are beautiful, inexactly.
You let a weed grow by the mulberry
and a mulberry grow by the house.
So close, in the personal quiet
of a windy night, it brushes the wall
and sweeps away the day till we sleep.

A child said it, and it seemed true:
"Things that are lost are all equal."
But it isn't true. If I lost you,
the air wouldn't move, nor the tree grow.
Someone would pull the weed, my flower.
The quiet wouldn't be yours. If I lost you,
I'd have to ask the grass to let me sleep.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20932#sthash.LNI6AumX.dpuf

To Dorothy

  by Marvin Bell

You are not beautiful, exactly.
You are beautiful, inexactly.
You let a weed grow by the mulberry
and a mulberry grow by the house.
So close, in the personal quiet
of a windy night, it brushes the wall
and sweeps away the day till we sleep.

A child said it, and it seemed true:
"Things that are lost are all equal."
But it isn't true. If I lost you,
the air wouldn't move, nor the tree grow.
Someone would pull the weed, my flower.
The quiet wouldn't be yours. If I lost you,
I'd have to ask the grass to let me sleep.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20932#sthash.LNI6AumX.dpuf

You are not beautiful, exactly.
You are beautiful, inexactly.
You let a weed grow by the mulberry
and a mulberry grow by the house.
So close, in the personal quiet
of a windy night, it brushes the wall
and sweeps away the day till we sleep.

A child said it, and it seemed true:
"Things that are lost are all equal."
But it isn't true. If I lost you,
the air wouldn't move, nor the tree grow.
Someone would pull the weed, my flower.
The quiet wouldn't be yours. If I lost you,
I'd have to ask the grass to let me sleep.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20932#sthash.LNI6AumX.dpuf

You are not beautiful, exactly.
You are beautiful, inexactly.
You let a weed grow by the mulberry
and a mulberry grow by the house.
So close, in the personal quiet
of a windy night, it brushes the wall
and sweeps away the day till we sleep.

A child said it, and it seemed true:
"Things that are lost are all equal."
But it isn't true. If I lost you,
the air wouldn't move, nor the tree grow.
Someone would pull the weed, my flower.
The quiet wouldn't be yours. If I lost you,
I'd have to ask the grass to let me sleep.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20932#sthash.LNI6AumX.dpuf