Spring Storm

Williams’s use of imagery and direct language allows for thorough symbolic explanations of common life events. “Spring Storm” features several strong images, but the first and main image contemplated in the poem is that of the storm itself. The spring storm in this poem has a dual meaning; as a “storm” it naturally indicates some sense of turmoil, darkness, and destruction. Williams opens the poem with an allusion to the turmoil and darkness of the storm: “The sky has given over / its bitterness. / Out of the dark change / all day long” (Lines 1-4). The storm comes from the “dark change” and it gives to the world “its bitterness” in the form of tears, or raindrops. However, in doing this, the storm is also cleansing “its bitterness” from itself, alluding to the other, more optimistic meaning of “spring storm.” A storm that comes on the verge of spring is often meant to be cleansing; it brings water that symbolizes the end of winter and the birth of a new spring. The addition of “spring” in the title and body of the poem provides an optimistic, forward-looking undertone for the poem.