Free Hugs

Billy Collins’ “Embrace,” illustrates someone who seriously needs a hug. As I imagined the “parlor trick” it made me laugh, but when Collins begins to describe the front side it just gets depressing. “…from the back it looks like someone is embracing you, her hands grasping your shirt, her fingernails teasing your neck.” This description on its own gives a feeling of nostalgia. Then the speaker gives a picture of what the “parlor trick” looks like from the front, “…you never looked so alone…you could be waiting for a tailor to fit you for a straitjacket, one that would hold you really tight.” The feeling is only increased. The poem seems funny because of the picture it depicts of the “parlor trick.” On a second look, though, the longing for an embrace, (rather than wanting to give the appearance of someone being all over you), gives the poem a really depressing tone. In such desperate need of a hug, the person embraces himself....