Collins’s doctorate and main literary expertise is Romantic poetry while his generational influence is the Beat movement and the writing that came from the Beatniks. Traditionally, Romantic poetry is rooted in place and nature and uses everyday objects to explore existential and profound subject matters. Collins names British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge as his main poetic influence from the Romantic era.

Collins also cites the Beat Generation as a major influence on his poetry. Beat poetry rebels against formal establishments like the government. The poetry from this movement mirrors this rebellion. While rhythmic in form, writing from the Beats shatters all traditional structures and subjects. Collins’s poem steps away from both Romanticism and Beat poetry, yet contains elements of influence from each.

In a 2007 interview Collins says, “Mortality is the over-arching subject of poetry” (Collins, Billy. “What are the recurring themes in your poetry?” Big Think.). Romantic poetry often explores mortality through nature, while in this poem Collins explores a different death: the death of the individual in a society where sameness, conformity, and good behavior is more valued than unique, individual expression. This critique of society very much echoes Beat poet subject matter and continues the

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