Blog 6: Essay 3 Draft

Window of Time
by: Patricia Walter (1944- )


She sits at the window
frozen in time.
What does she really see?
Ghosts from the past
a thousand years old
creatures we don't understand.
Tail twitching, body poised
not moving an inch
mesmerized by the world outside.
A quiet little mouse,
white tailed deer,
or shadows from wind blown trees.
I look, I stare
but I just don't see
the view from cat's eyes so intense.
Hours pass, the cat stande guard,
sky bleeding night black to dawn gray.
Night after night
at the window of time
what stories unfold out of sight?




Patricia Walters was born in 1944 and lived in Cleveland during her younger years. Patricia moved from Cleveland to southern Ohio onto the family farm. She had a big interest in music and after she met her husband in wood turning and later on in life in painting and writing. Her main subjects of art are usually animals especially dogs. She now lived in Marietta and still continues to paint and write today. "Window of Time," is just one of the many poems Patricia has written in her life.

This poem is composed of just one stanza with 20 lines. The narrative poem is on the left side of the page and is pretty narrow. The poem has no specific rhyme scheme. However, lines 18 and 20 do rhyme. The lines in this poem generally have two or three beat lines, but lines 15 and 17 could be read with 4 beats.

"Window of Time," talks about a person who is watching a cat which is looking out a window. The speaker is trying to figure out what the cat is looking at but can't figure it out and wonders if cats are able to see things which humans cannot. The main image of this poem is a cat staring out of a window into a kind of mysterious realm which the speaker cannot see. The cat sits at the window (line 1) sitting completely still (line 2). What can the cat actually see? (line 3) ancient ghosts (line 4) who are 1000 years old (line 5) and creatures that humans don't understand (line 6). The cats tail is twitching and looks ready for anything (line 7) completely still (line 8) amazed by what the cat sees outside (line 9). Maybe a silent mouse (line 10) maybe a deer with a white tail (line 11) or the shadows from the trees blowing in the wind (line 12). The speaker tries to see it (line 13) but the speaker is unable to (line 14) the cat has an intense look in her eyes (line 15). As hours pass, the cat still stands guard (line 16), from the dark night into the early morning (line 17). Every night (line 18) at the window which the cat watches through (line 19) what is out there that we cannot see? (line 20)

The main symbols for this poem seem to be (1) cat (2) window and time (3) creatures, ghosts and shadows (4) mouse, deer, and tree and (5) black, night, grey, and dawn.

First the poem is titled "Window of Time" Both window and time have symbolic meanings and is used several times through out the poem. A window could symbolize ones narrow view of the world, because they can only see whats in front not whats above or to the sides of them. And the glass could serve as protection to the viewer (associated content). Time can symbolize the future or the past, not just the present time.

Another important symbol is the cat. The cat symbolizes many different things. Some believed cats to symbolize sin, hatred and the devil, but is now more recognized as symbolizing intelligence, a spiritual guardian, deep understanding of nature, independent, understanding and mysterious. (Symbolism Wikia).

Creatures are commonly associated with monsters or beings which humans do not know. They are often made up or used in stories. Ghosts symbolize some times spookiness, darkness and scary, but they can also symbolize spirits of the dead and history. Shadows are associated with darkness, evil, mystery and the Dictionary of Symbolism said it associated with a persons soul and represents part of the Chinese yin yang with light.

Mouse and deer are both animals of nature and could represent innocence life and gentleness. The trees symbolize several things (Symbolism Wikia). According to Dictionary of Symbolism, trees symbolize life, heaven, earth, water, and is feminine, nourishing and sheltering.

This poem tends to use darker colors; black for night and grey for dawn. Black represents a lack of color, and can also symbolize death, sorrow, emptiness, evil, and the unknown. Night has a similar symbolic meaning to black as its associated with darkness, mystery, sleep, and the moon. The color gray can symbolize neutral, depression, humility and sometimes death and also wisdom. Dawn, however, can symbolize an illumination of hope, birth, rebirth, and a chance of happiness and improvement (Dictionary of Symbolism).

Based on the authors choice of words, the tone that I believe is being used is mysterious. The reason why I believe that the poem has a mysterious tone is because she uses words such as intense, window of time, and mesmerized to make the tone seem very curious and mysterious.she asks so many questions about what the cat can really see. For example, she has lines in her poem such as, "What does she really see?" and "what stories unfold out of sight?"

"Window of Time" is a poem about cats, and more specifically, if cats have any powers such a clairvoyant sense or something to that matter which they are able to see things which humans can't. It is unclear what exactly it is that the cat can see, but that is probably because humans can't see it therefore the speaker can't tell you what it is. Cats have been recognized for their sharp vision but this poem shows that maybe people don't know how good it really is. I believe this poem is meant to be told like a story as about every 3 lines there's a period at the end of the line and then the following starts with a capitalized letter. Through the image of the cat staring through the mysterious window, lines in the poem such as 1,2, 15-20 and the poem being titled, "Window of Time," is could be said that maybe the speaker is trying to say that cats could see ghosts or spiritd or even possibly see through time.




Cirlot, J. E. "A Dictionary of Symbols." Trans. Jack Sage. New York: Philosophical Library. 1962. Dictionary of Symbolism. University of Michigan Fantasy and Science Fiction Website. 2001. 06 August 2004. Web. 17 April 2010.


NoPNA. "Symbolism of Doors and Windows in Modern Literature." June 2007. Web. 17 April 2010.

Symbolism Wikia. Web. 17 April 2010.

Walter, Patricia. "About Patricia Walter." Web. 17 April 2010.