Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Penmanship" by Jorie Graham is a contemplative exploration of language, writing, and the human endeavor to make sense of the world through symbols and words. The poem's structure reflects a fluid stream of consciousness, mirroring the thought process behind the act of writing itself. Graham delves into the imperfections and aspirations inherent in penmanship, using rich imagery and metaphors to convey the challenges and desires embedded in the process of creating meaning on the page.

The poem opens with a juxtaposition between the mind's ideal and the reality of writing: "Beyond the margin, in the mind, the winner gets it right, / while here the 1's proceed in single file, / each a large or smaller eye." The "winner" in the mind symbolizes the idealized perfection of thoughts, while the reality of writing, represented by the orderly procession of numbers, emphasizes the struggle to translate these perfect ideas into the imperfect medium of written symbols. The numbers, described as eyes, suggest a sense of vigilance and scrutiny in the act of writing, where each stroke is observed and judged.

Graham questions the nature of truth and its variability: "What heaven can be true / when its permissions / vary so?" This line reflects the inconsistency and subjectivity inherent in human perception and understanding. The notion of turning the page and trying again emphasizes the iterative process of writing and rewriting, where each attempt is a fresh start with its own unique challenges and possibilities.

The imagery of letters as physical objects further illustrates the tangible struggle of penmanship: "the f's so many shut umbrellas on / an empty beach, the waves the s's make unable to link up, / reach shore." The f's, resembling closed umbrellas, evoke a sense of potential yet unfulfilled, while the s's, likened to waves that fail to connect with the shore, represent the difficulty in achieving coherence and connection through writing. This metaphor captures the frustration of incomplete or fragmented expression.

Graham then expands the metaphorical landscape, comparing letters and words to various environments: "a greenhouse, rows androws and I / can't ever pick / the one I want, / and this the desert we'd reclaim, / and these the flooded lowlands, topsoil gone downstream." The greenhouse suggests a controlled, nurturing space where growth and selection are possible, yet the speaker feels overwhelmed by choice. The desert and flooded lowlands symbolize extremes of scarcity and excess, illustrating the wide range of contexts and conditions that influence writing and meaning-making.

The poem also touches on the collective endeavor of language: "our frigid school of twenty-six now swimming up / stream, swimming down, made to try / and try again." The alphabet, personified as a school of fish, represents the collective effort to communicate and the persistent struggle against the currents of misunderstanding and miscommunication. The letters' "desire" for normalcy and marriage reflects the human yearning for stability and connection through language.

Graham concludes with a meditation on the abstraction and idealization of language: "shedding the body for / its wish, a pure idea, a thought as true as / not true, water / lilies, waterstriders." This final image juxtaposes the tangible with the ethereal, suggesting that language attempts to transcend physical reality to capture pure ideas, yet remains bound by its inherent limitations and ambiguities.

In "Penmanship," Jorie Graham weaves a complex tapestry of metaphors and images to explore the intricate relationship between thought and language. The poem reflects on the challenges of translating the ideal into the tangible, the iterative process of writing, and the collective human endeavor to create meaning through words. Graham's evocative language and fluid structure invite readers to consider the profound yet imperfect nature of penmanship and its role in shaping our understanding of the world.

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