Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Diatribe of the Kite; for Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche" by Norman Dubie is a complex and richly symbolic poem that weaves together metaphysical elements with vivid imagery to explore themes of ancestry, shame, knowledge, and the natural world. This piece, dedicated to Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist master, suggests a deep engagement with spiritual and existential questions, framed within the metaphor of two kites.

The poem begins with a description of two forces of magnetism, one weak and one strong, that combine to create a "cruel sea of iron filings." This opening sets a tone of dynamic and opposing forces shaping the environment in which the narrative unfolds. The imagery of magnetism and iron filings conveys a sense of an invisible, powerful, and perhaps uncontrollable influence over the beings described in the poem.

The mention of the two behemoths, one red and one green, introduces characters that are richly symbolic and enigmatic. These colors may represent various dichotomies such as life and death, passion and growth, or other cultural and spiritual dualities. The description of their construction from willow sticks, rice paper, and a wooden pot of glue adds a traditional, almost ancient feel, suggesting these figures are crafted from the natural and the mundane to become something greater, much like kites that ascend beyond their simple materials.

Their consumption of "the roasted tongue of prisoner angels" is particularly striking, blending the mundane with the celestial in a depiction that suggests they derive sustenance from the divine or the ethereal, yet this act is tinged with violence and dominance. This could symbolize the way in which human beings often exploit and consume natural and spiritual resources, or it could hint at a deeper, mythical cycle of destruction and sustenance that underpins the universe.

The behemoths waking "like simple accordions" and their description as "doomed" further deepen the tragic aspect of their existence. They are both majestic and pitiable, powerful yet constrained by their nature and the inevitability of their fate. This could reflect the human condition, particularly in spiritual contexts, where enlightenment and understanding come with the recognition of one’s limitations and the inevitability of death.

The final lines, revealing that much of what the behemoths know was learned "while grazing in the field with animals," underscores a theme of primal, instinctive wisdom that contrasts with the cultivated, perhaps artificial knowledge often associated with human societies. It suggests a kind of purity and fundamental truth accessible through simplicity and closeness to nature.

Overall, Dubie's poem is a meditation on the interplay between the elemental, the spiritual, and the cultural aspects of existence. It challenges the reader to consider the ways in which we are connected to our ancestors, the natural world, and the spiritual teachings that attempt to make sense of this connection. The use of the kite as a metaphor enriches the poem, symbolizing the potential for ascension and the constant pull between the earth and the sky, the material and the spiritual.

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