I May, I Might, I Must (Marianne Moore)

More tiredness, another short poem: I May, I Might, I Must by Marianne Moore.

This is poetry. Condensed language--check. Precision of language--check. Title that truly adds to the meaning--check. Ability for a single piece to have multiple interpretations and applications--check.

I was in Yosemite a few months back and saw a fen for the first time. Grasses growing up in clear water. There is no solid ground and the grass would make for a tangled go if wading or boating.

I read through her bio quickly to see if my interpretation was correct. I see this poem as the determination to survive any medical disaster, be it cancer or broken bones. The steeliness, the straight-forwardness of the language made me so certain that Marianne Moore must have been diagnosed with cancer or some other terminal disease, but when I read through her bio there was no such mention. So, I suppose, the poem could be in reference to any tough situation. But, like I said, multiple applications/interpretations are the sure marks of a great poem. And this small stone of a poem is definitely a great poem.

Favorite line: "I think that I/can get across it if I try."