The Ikons, James K. Baxter: Analysis, Summary, Style, Themes

The Ikons, James K. Baxter: Analysis, Summary, Style, Themes

"The Ikons" by James K. Baxter is a reflective poem that explores the themes of mortality, loss, and the search for meaning in the face of darkness. The speaker contemplates the lessons of an elderly woman, Te Whaea, who teaches him about death, and reflects on the fallen "ikons" of his life, such as God, Mary, and poetry. Through his search for mushrooms in a field, the speaker grapples with his own longing and the darkness that surrounds him. The Ikons: Poem Text Hard, heavy, slow, dark, Or so I find them, the hands of Te Whaea Teaching me to die. Some lightness will come later When the heart has lost its unjust hope For special treatment. Today I go with a bucket Over the paddocks of young grass, So delicate like fronds of maidenhair, Looking for mushrooms. I find twelve of them, Most of them little, and some eaten by maggots, But they’ll do to add to the soup. It’s a long time now Since the great ikons fell down, God, Mary, home, sex, poetry, Whateve…