"The Three Brothers in the Snow" is a short poem by Jeffery Harrison. In the poem Harrison expresses the memory of spending his snow days with his brothers. It seems through his writing that snow days are one of the only ways he can relive time spent with his two brothers.
Just before the poem Harrison gives a quote from Gerard de Nerval, who said, "Winter has its pleasures." He begins the poem by responding to this quote saying that the first thing that comes to mind is the snow days with his brothers and all the good times he remembers. He writes that snow brought out his imagination and that he could be whatever he wanted on snow days, "like astronauts, kicking through the lunar dust / whose sparkles made you fall in dizzy pleasure," (lines 5-6). In the second verse Harrison makes the reader visualize his garage's wall.
President Harrison visits Santa Ana, 1891
Mrs. F.B. Harrison (LOC)
HarrisonHe describes each piece of equipment that he used to enjoy his day off of school. The poet then takes the reader with him throughout the day of sledding. He makes it seem as if he knew how risky their activities were and that was what made them so much fun. In the third verse Harrison talks about the magic the snow has. He says that his love for the snow has lasted through the years unlike his relationship with his brothers, "We kicked it, packed it, threw it at each other, / ate it (I still do)".
Jeffery Harrison, I believe, uses his poem "The Three Brothers in the Snow" as a way of expressing his regret for letting the bond between him and his brothers' dissolve into total estrangement. I really enjoyed this poem in the sense that it can be enjoyed on two separate levels. When taken literally it is a nice memoir of the writer's childhood but, when looked at closer the poem is actually about the loss he feels by no longer sharing anything with his brothers.
Gerard de nerval
Français : La place Gérard de Nerval à Senlis, ...
Gérard de Nerval, photographed about this year by...