Melting Snow Jack Gilbert's poem, “Horses at Midnight without a Moon” expresses the positive and negatives emotions, separated or clashing, throughout life. What the poem mainly consists about is having hope, never give in to any kind of doubt or suffering from our surroundings, staying positive to an illusion that will one day become a reality. Gilbert says this could be because we're blinded or confused by other feelings their life. The poem indicates different types of hardships people face explained in several literary devices. Such as, Allegory with the representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning in ones' life. Being a metaphor as well, Jack wrote how the hearts of those wander around dark woods, feeling lost and alone with no support to guide them to safety of hope. Gilbert says all the doubt someone has crawls into their mind to keep from overcoming any goals. Having a hopeful attitude can prevent from having someone's hope pushed down and prevail any doubtful emotions. The poem consists of many closely arranged statements but at the same time with strikingly different characteristics. For example the way Gilbert uses the words, “a long-legged beauty through dirty streets.” (Gilbert 1) Gilbert is contrasting the two words long-legged beauty with dirty streets, stating something so beautiful dares to stroll across dirty surroundings is indicating how no matter the negativity around a person's precious dream, as long as there is hope and assurance, there will still be that precious dream. This free verse poem also carries symbolism to identify an extraordinary significance. The angel in the fourth line, “as doubt is pushed down, the angel flies up again taking us with her” (Gilbert 1) Gilbert is symbolizing holiness, peace, love, joy, hope and good things.

The angel indicated in the poem could be anyone or anything to keep the positive emotions at bay. As the word, hope, being used throughout this poem. There were a few alliterations in this poem, even though it is considered a free verse, having put “doubt” and “down” near each other making it an alliteration. The repetition of “inch by inch,” added effect to the summer mornings. As a new day arises and there is no way of escaping it, for it is always there walking with us. The title of this poem, “Horses at Midnight without a Moon,” (Gilbert 1) the word horses, describes having more than one meaning. In the poem it explains that, “we know the horses are there in the dark meadow because we can smell them.” Being horses in the dark meadow are there but not in plain sight, signifies that certain emotions