A Brook In The City

This poem is a nostalgic reflection on the unending march of urbanization, as seen through the lens of a house and a brook. The poet uses a personified house, which "lingers", resisting its inevitable assimilation into the "new city street". The house is personified further by having to "wear a number in", suggesting a sense of reluctant conformity. The brook is represented as a symbol of untamed nature that held the house "as in an elbow-crook", implying a tender relationship between the two.

The poet's personal engagement with the brook, described through the tactile experiences of dipping a finger and making it "leap my knuckle", creates an intimate connection between the poet, the brook, and by extension, nature. This deep personal connection is further emphasized when the poet "tossed a flower" into the brook, a gesture typically associated with farewells. The final line presents a stark image of the meadow grass possibly being "cemented down", symbolizing the encroachment of urban development on nature. The structure of the poem, with its consistent rhythm and rhyme, mimics the predictable, unyielding progression of urbanization. Overall, the poem is a lament for the loss of natural beauty and a critique of relentless urban expansion.