Marking Time
By Owen Sheers
That mark upon your back is finally fading
in the way our memory will,
of that night our lust wouldn’t wait for bed
so laid us out upon the floor instead
where we worked up that scar —
two tattered flags flying from your spine’s mast,
a brand-burn secret in the small of your back.
I trace them now and feel the disturbance again.
The still waters of your skin broken, the volte engaging
as we make our marks like lovers who carve trees,
the equation of their names equalled by an arrow
that buckles under time but never leaves,
and so though changed, under the bark, the skin,
the loving scar remains.
Summary of Marking Time
- Popularity of “Marking Time”: This beautiful poem was written by Mark Sheers, a Welsh television celebrity, writer, and poet. The poem first appeared in 2006 in his collection of poetry. The very title of the poem is suggestive of Welsh conventions. It shows how conjugal life could leave memories of physical scars on the face of time with no trace of the incident, as well as the passion backing it. The poem has won popularity on account of its suggestive thematic strand.
- “Marking Time” As a Representative of Lust and Memory: The poet recalls the moment when he and his beloved were engaged in a sexual encounter on the floor, causing skin scars to his beloved. However, they could not wait for the bed and continued until these scars appeared like “two tattered flags” on her spine. It was like a burn scar that was a secret for her. Following a considerable passage of time, the poet, again, looks for those scars and sees that the skin presents some evidence but it is not that deep. He sees the stillness of her skin and compares it with the oceanic water, saying these scars are like the scars of names of the lovers they carve on the trees. Although the bark, the water, and the skin become as it was before, the scars remain.
- Major Themes in “Marking Time”: Lust, memories, and physical scars are three major thematic strands of this poem. The poem has beautifully presented the lustful moment of their lives through the love of scars. He is of the view that the sexual encounter taking place outside the boundaries of their bed is liable to bring such scars on the back of his beloved. However, these scars go away, but they can trace them through their memories, and they live in their memories like the carved names of some lovers. These physical scars mark their love as both have marked them on the face of time. Although it is lust and it stays in their minds, it means they have marked the time on their skins instead of the trees.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Marking Time
Owen Sheers has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices Sheers has used are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “That mark upon your back is finally fading” and the sound of /o/ in “so laid us out upon the floor instead.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /w/ in “where we worked”, “wouldn’t wait”, /t/ in our tattered” and /f/ in “flying from” and “finally fading.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /f/ and /r/ in “That mark upon your back is finally fading” and the sound of /t/ in “of that night our lust wouldn’t wait for bed.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Owen Sheers used imagery in this poem such as “where we worked up that scar”, “I trace them now and feel the disturbance again” and “The still waters of your skin broken, the volte engaging.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of the ocean, comparing her skin to its still waters.
- Simile: It is a figure of speech that shows a direct comparison of things to clarify meanings. Sheers used the simile, “we make our marks like lovers.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as marks, memory, and floor to show the love of the couple.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Marking Time
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows very good use of formal and poetic diction.
- Irregular Rhyme Scheme: The poem does not follow any regular rhyme scheme.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas, each comprising a different number of verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a loving, nostalgic, and loving tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about the love of a couple.
as we make our marks like lovers who carve trees,
the equation of their names equalled by an arrow
that buckles under time but never leaves,
and so though changed, under the bark, the skin,
the loving scar remains
