First Frost - Andrei Vosnesensky

Vosnesensky’s “First Frost” is a delicately phrased response to a girl’s first heartbreak. Initially, the poem opens by describing the girl’s physical discomfort from winter’s biting chill. Notably, winter is a season of loss and conclusions; the use of pathetic fallacy represents how she is engulfed by endings. The poem continues to describe her smeared makeup, which could imply either violence or tears. Her physical description is described further by her “thin little fingers,” and how “alone” she is, as well as vulnerable, out in the dark at night. The idea of “losses” is reinstated in the next stanza, and the idea that this is only the “beginning” of the end. The poem concludes by again referring to her face, “winter glittering on her cheek.” This encapsulates the main idea of the poem; changing yourself to be loved, only to be lost once again.  

The “girl” described in the poem is clearly young and has been treated as dispensable by someone she trusted. The girl’s location is indicative of her situation; being isolated in a “phone booth” represents how she is trying to reach out, to search for connection at a time when everything around her is dark and unsafe. She isn’t protected in her “flimsy coat,” and her lack of clothing perhaps represents how she attempts to show of her body rather than her soul – to be seen through the lens of love rather than lust, because it is easier to find. She looks, however, for some shelter beneath it – as if she is trying the shield herself from hurt and harm. As is she feels she needs protecting.  

The sibilance of being “stained by tears” and “smeared in lipstick” sounds messy, an overwhelming sensation. She has been tainted by this experience, has scars that need more than a makeup wipe to remove. The juxtaposition of the nouns “tears” and “lipstick” demonstrate the chop-and-change of feelings in the teenage years – how someone can be wanted for one simmering moment, then worthless the next. The mature idea of “lipstick” contrasts with her “thin little fingers.” She is a child in the body of someone who feels much older; she is fragile, even if she has not accepted it herself. “Fingers” specifically are symbolic, again, of her reaching out, experiencing the world for the first time, innocent and trusting thoughtlessly, learning life through sense, not sight. Her fingers, however, are “like ice.” This simile is representative of her heart turning stone-cold, her blood itself poisoned by the winter and turning to sharp shards.  

The “glass beads” in her ears are another metaphor for her performative maturity; wanting power and control but not yet being trusted with independence. Perhaps it is also representative of her choice to block out the advice of others and follow her own path, invisibly – pretending to listen. She must “beat her way back home alone down the icy street.” This immediately represents her fragility and vulnerability being an isolated girl out at night. However, it may also represent the start of a rocky journey to growth. This idea is cemented with the poet writing this as “a beginning of losses.” This is symbolic of how you have to lose yourself to grow. The frost is bitter and biting; perhaps the idea of “the first frost of telephone phrases” highlights how she has been stung by thoughtless words, the person on the other end of the line not strong enough to say them in person. The “start of winter glittering on her cheek” is symbolic of how this ending is a catalyst for her development as a person. The lexical choices of “glittering” and “cheek” are potentially a reference back to her childhood – where being a teenager was a mystical, attractive idea, positive and rebellious. Her “cheek” represents her youth. She is disillusioned now, older yet not much more knowing. The foundation for everything she thought she knew about love tumbled catastrophically through one callous phone call. 

This poem, Vosnesensky’s “First Frost,” is an emotional depiction of the tumultuous swings of love and relationships in youth; prized one moment, discarded the next to chase the next sparkling jewel. The character isn’t named and her appearance is generalised. This demonstrates how this experience can apply to anyone and usually results in scores of tales amongst women and girls with a similar theme. This poem depicts the shared story of women everywhere – once a polished gem, later tarnishing under the pressure of romantic expectation.  

Look, I'm sorry. I can't even tell if this is good. I've had no motivation to write for months - I still don't. This is an unseen poetry response, by the way. But I really enjoyed writing it. I think all you'll see for a while might be essays. I can't think of anything even vaguely creative; I don't have time for anything. I don't have time to think. And it's very, very painful. But I will write. Even if it has to be essays for a while. I refuse to believe everything is lost. I will write. I will write. I will write.

Song suggestion - Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley