Some Afternoons She Does Not Pick Up the Phone

Anne Carson is widely regarded as one of the most important poetic voices in English in the 21st century. Carson’s literary style is difficult to classify under a school or movement, since her poems intentionally play with form, ranging from novel-length verse (Autobiography of Red) to operas and collages. In an interview with The Guardian, Carson describes herself as a person who doesn’t “gravitate to groups or traditions.” Though Carson’s work does not fit under one overarching umbrella, her literary approach can be understood as Postmodern, because of her mixing of genres, her play with forms, and her love of pastiche.

But more than formal approach, what makes Carson’s work distinct is its engagement with themes like love, desire, and despair. For instance, “Some Afternoons She Does Not Pick Up the Phone” is a fine study of the melancholy brought upon by an endless winter. While the poem’s atmosphere and tone convey its themes effectively, some lines are left deliberately ambiguous in trademark Carson style. For instance, the image of the wind torn to shreds over the ice invites the reader to stop and ponder over its meaning.