Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Simon J. Ortiz’s "They Crossed Country" is a haunting meditation on displacement, memory, and the severance of people from the land. Ortiz, an Acoma Pueblo poet, frequently explores themes of historical trauma, Indigenous survival, and the consequences of forced movement—whether through colonization, migration, or the imposition of foreign systems onto Native ways of life. This poem reflects on a journey that is both physical and existential, contrasting those who cross the land aimlessly with those who once moved in harmony with it.

The poem’s opening—"They crossed country that would lay beyond memory."—immediately establishes a sense of rupture. The phrase "would lay beyond memory" suggests that this journey takes place in a landscape that is either unknowable or deliberately forgotten. The use of "crossed" implies movement, but not necessarily one of belonging; there is no indication that this is home, only that it is being traversed. This sets the stage for a meditation on disconnection—how certain kinds of crossings sever ties with history, rather than reinforcing them.

"Their cells would no longer bother to remember." This striking line suggests a biological level of forgetting, as if memory itself is not only erased from conscious thought but from the very fabric of existence. The body, which might normally carry ancestral knowledge and instinctive ties to the land, ceases to recall its connection. Ortiz’s choice to phrase it as "would no longer bother to remember" implies an act of surrender, perhaps even complicity—memory does not simply fade; it is abandoned. This introduces the idea that forgetting, in some cases, is not accidental but a function of displacement, whether imposed or self-imposed.

The next statement—"Memory was not to be trusted."—reveals a deeper fracture. If memory cannot be relied upon, then history itself becomes unstable. This suggests that those crossing the land are either being taught to distrust their past or have chosen to sever themselves from it. Ortiz does not specify why memory is viewed with suspicion, leaving open the possibility that it has been distorted, manipulated, or rendered irrelevant by new priorities.

The poem shifts to describe those who have "plans." "They had plans. Fortuitous for those who had designs." Here, Ortiz contrasts two kinds of movement—one that is structured and goal-driven versus one that is instinctive and organic. The repetition of "plans" emphasizes that these travelers are not aimless in their own minds; they have intentions, ambitions, or projects. However, the line "Fortuitous for those who had designs." carries an ironic undertone—these plans serve those who wish to shape and control, those who impose structures upon the land rather than living within its natural rhythms.

This is contrasted with an alternative way of being: "They had plans but they could have matched the land like those who had searched the plains and tied themselves to stars, insects, generations and generations, instinct for millennia." Ortiz presents a lost possibility—an existence in harmony with the land, much like Indigenous peoples who lived according to celestial patterns, ecological rhythms, and intergenerational knowledge. The mention of "stars, insects, generations and generations" highlights an interconnected worldview, where survival and meaning come from observing, learning, and integrating with nature. The phrase "instinct for millennia" suggests that this knowledge is not intellectual or external but embedded within the very being of those who once moved with the land rather than across it.

However, the poem laments that this connection was not maintained: "When they didn’t, star light fractured, became unpredictable." The breaking of starlight suggests a cosmic disruption, a loss of orientation. Stars have long been used for navigation, both physically and spiritually; to fracture them is to render guidance unreliable. This could symbolize the consequences of colonization, forced assimilation, or modern alienation—where once-clear paths, whether literal or metaphorical, have become distorted. "Became unpredictable" suggests that without this connection to instinct and tradition, the travelers are now subject to chance, uncertainty, and disarray.

The poem’s final line—"Aimlessly, they crossed memory."—brings the meditation full circle. The use of "aimlessly" contrasts with the earlier insistence that they had plans, suggesting that despite their structured ambitions, their movement is ultimately directionless in a deeper, existential sense. The phrase "crossed memory" reinforces the idea that this is not just a physical journey but one that traverses historical and cultural landscapes. However, unlike those who once moved with knowledge and instinct, these travelers do so without a guiding force. The suggestion is that their disconnection from the land and from memory has left them wandering, cut off from a past that once provided orientation and meaning.

Ortiz’s use of free verse allows the poem to unfold organically, mirroring the theme of movement—both purposeful and lost. The lack of punctuation in key places creates a flowing, almost breathless rhythm, reflecting both the inevitability of the journey and its lack of clear resolution. The contrast between structured ambition (plans, designs) and natural instinct (stars, insects, generations) reinforces the poem’s central argument: that severing oneself from memory and land does not lead to progress but to disorientation.

"They Crossed Country" is a meditation on the consequences of forgetting, on the difference between movement that honors history and movement that erases it. Ortiz challenges the idea that progress is always forward-moving, suggesting instead that when people lose their connection to memory and to the land, they also lose their sense of purpose. The fractured starlight, the distrust of memory, and the aimless crossing all serve as warnings: survival is not just about having plans, but about understanding where one stands in relation to history, to nature, and to the unseen forces that once guided generations before.

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