In the poem "Cold as Heaven" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, write about the way the images presented in this poem help create an overall message about death. You might also note the use of allusion (to Lent, and to the season of the year that Lent represents in this part of the world)—how does that play into the message of the poem? Carefully note the use of imagery and figurative language as it happens. Notice the way the poem makes you see things, hear things, remember things. Cold as Heavenby Judith Ortiz Cofer Before there is a breeze againbefore the cooling days of Lent, she may be gone.My grandmother asks me to tell heragain about the snow.We sit on her white bedin this white room, while outsidethe Caribbean sun winds up the worldlike an old alarm clock. I tell herabout the enveloping blizzard I lived throughthat made everything and everyone the same;how we lost ourselves in drifts so tallwe fell through our own footprints;how wrapped like mummies in layers of woolthat almost immobilized us, we could onlytake hesitant steps like toddlerstoward food, warmth, shelter.I talk winter real for her,as she would once conjure for me to dreamat sweltering siesta time,cool stone castles in lands far north.Her eyes wander to the window,to the teeming scene of childrenpouring out of a yellow bus, then to the bottledripping minutes through a tubeinto her veins. When her eyes return to me,I can see she’s waiting to hear moreabout the purifying nature of ice,how snow makes way for a body,how you can make yourself an angelby just lying down and waving your armsas you do when you saygoodbye.

The author of the poem “Cold as Heaven” uses various literary devices, including imagery and allusion, to bring out the message of death. The author uses imagery in different instances within the poem, as discussed below.
The author says, “her white bed, in this white room” when referring to her grandmother’s bed and room. In this statement, the author uses white as imagery to signify heaven. White signifies purity; hence, it is highly associated with heaven. The author also uses the phrase “the Caribbean sun winds up the world like an old alarm clock” to indicate that time was no longer a privilege that her grandmother enjoyed. The statement means that as the beautiful sun of the Caribbean went down, her grandmother’s life was also grinding to a halt, as death was beckoning. The old alarm clock is an image used by the poet to signify that time was up for her grandmother. The author further uses the imagery “enveloping blizzard” to show that there was no future for her grandmother, as her world was coming to an end. Further, to articulate the imminent death facing her grandmother, the author uses imagery in the phrase “wrapped like mummies,” which depicts how dead people were wrapped when being buried. In a bid to depict the deteriorating health of her grandmother, the author uses the statement “then to the bottle dripping minutes through a tube to her veins.” The imagery by the poet in this statement is meant to show that her grandmother was severely ill. The author alludes to Lent to show that death was imminent for her grandmother. Lent is an important period for all Catholics, who are expected to go for penance and cleansing in preparation for death. It is a period when the faithful are expected to prepare themselves so that they may gain passage into heaven. Thus, by stating that “before the cooling days of Lent, she may be gone,” the author means that her grandmother was on her deathbed. Therefore, the author uses imagery and allusion to create an overall message about the looming death of her grandmother.
https://www.austincc.edu/andreac/imagery