Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Abandoned Ranch, Big Bend" by Hayden Carruth is a poignant exploration of human displacement, the desolation of nature, and the search for meaning within the vast, indifferent expanse of the desert. Through the depiction of three individuals—a woman, a child with yellow hair, and a man characterized by his "desperate humanity"—Carruth delves into themes of existential solitude, the remnants of human endeavor against the backdrop of nature's immensity, and the elusive sense of belonging in a world that seems increasingly alien.

The poem opens with a stark declaration: "Three people come where no people belong any more." This line immediately sets the tone for the narrative, positioning the characters as intruders in a landscape that has long since relinquished its hospitality to human habitation. The mention of the woman's potential youth and beauty, diminished by the harsh reality of their surroundings, introduces a sense of lost potential and the fading of human concerns in the face of nature's apathy.

The description of the setting—a ranch marked by "Dry cistern, adobe flaking, a lizard"—evokes a sense of abandonment and decay. The imagery of a landscape devoid of water and life, except for the resilient lizard, underscores the harshness of the environment and the futility of human efforts to tame or inhabit such a place. The "disagreeable feeling that they were summoned" introduces a mystical or preordained element to their journey, suggesting that their presence at the ranch is not entirely of their own volition but part of a larger, perhaps inexplicable, pattern.

Carruth's use of the sun as a metaphorical "horse treading, / A horse with wide wings and heavy hoofs" imbues the scene with a sense of oppressive heat and relentless time, further emphasizing the inhospitality of the landscape. The lizard, "splayed head down on the wall, pulsing," serves as a symbol of adaptation and survival in an environment that offers little sustenance or comfort.

The poem's central imagery of the desert "spiraling away, / Traveling outward and inward, pulsing" captures the paradoxical nature of the landscape as both expansive and introspective, a place where the boundaries between the external world and the internal self become blurred. This notion of being "summoned" from disparate parts of the world to this moment of "perfect fortuity" suggests a search for meaning or connection that transcends geographical and existential boundaries.

As the poem progresses, the presence that emerges "in / Sun dance and clicking metal" hints at the intersection of the natural and the mechanical, the ancient and the modern, further complicating the characters' relationship with the landscape. The mention of "displaced Yankee ghosts" and the ranch being "abandoned to terror and the sublime" evokes the historical and emotional layers of human interaction with the land, marked by both failure and awe.

The concluding lines, where the man looks to the woman and child, acknowledging his inability to articulate his feelings, capture the core of human vulnerability and the quest for understanding and acceptance. The "steady cool mercy of their unreproachful eyes" suggests a resignation to the complexities of human relationships and the inscrutable nature of existence itself.

"Abandoned Ranch, Big Bend" is a meditation on the themes of isolation, the enduring power of nature, and the human yearning for connection and meaning in a world that often seems indifferent to our presence. Through vivid imagery and a contemplative tone, Carruth invites the reader to reflect on the fragility of human life and the profound mysteries that lie at the heart of our relationship with the natural world.

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