The circle - Don Paterson

• “the circle” is a symbol of the eternal cycle of life, death, and not perfect
• “my boy“ poets pride in his son
• “paining outer space” trying to understand it , simple but difficult
• “heavenly design” god, perfect
• “he screws it up” childish language , childish frustration
• “the shakes” something wrong w him
• “thank god” religious , blaming god for his sons disability
• “he’s all the earth” means a lot to poet
• “flutter in his signature” a slight imperfection in his identity , conveys poets frustration
• “nothings what we meant” uncertainty, relying on fate
• “to keep our arrows halfway straight” once we let go its in fates hands and we have no control over it
• “the target also draws our aim” still worth aiming for something even if you miss, do it for the sake of doing it
• “our will and natures are the same” we are as we are meant to be
• “muddy water jar” fate
• “filling with the perfect ring” natural perfection, perfection has been there all along
• key themes - nothings perfect , fate