Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Wagoner’s “For Laurel and Hardy on My Workroom Wall” captures the essence of the comedic duo as they stand poised on the verge of yet another absurd and heartfelt misadventure. The poem, through its vivid depiction of their iconic charm, becomes a meditation on resilience, absurdity, and the human condition as embodied in their timeless performances.

The opening lines immediately establish the comedic optimism intrinsic to Laurel and Hardy’s dynamic: "They?re tipping their battered derbies and striding forward / In step for a change, chipper, self-assured." The mention of their "battered derbies" is emblematic of their well-worn roles as everymen, struggling but persevering through life?s challenges. The derbies, dented but still proudly worn, symbolize their enduring spirit and refusal to abandon humor despite their perpetual predicaments.

Their suitcases labeled "Guest of Steerage" set the stage for their arrival at the "boot camp / Of the good old French Foreign Legion." This new absurd scenario, chosen over "drowning themselves," exemplifies the duo?s penchant for turning even despair into comedy. Wagoner underscores their ability to reinvent themselves, "their slice of life," by embracing the preposterous. The Legion, historically an emblem of escape and reinvention, mirrors Laurel and Hardy?s comedic ethos: to transform bleak situations into moments of endearing and universal hilarity.

Wagoner poignantly describes their roles as performers and as characters, noting that they are "their own mothers and fathers / And their own unknowable children." This observation captures the layered complexity of their comedy, which appeals to both innocence and experience. As "unknowable children," they embody wonder and bafflement at life’s complexities, while as "their own mothers and fathers," they reflect an enduring maturity in their ability to persevere through repeated failures.

The poem highlights the duo?s unique capacity to transform the mundane into the extraordinary. Their expressions of "sad laughter and mock tears" and their "unsuccessful / Concentration" become metaphors for the human struggle to make sense of an often baffling world. Their comedy, grounded in slapstick and exaggeration, is revealed as a means of coping with existential uncertainty. "Pretend[ing] they?re only one reel away / From belonging in the world," they persist in creating joy even when faced with futility.

The setting in the Sahara, with "mops and buckets given them as charms," provides a visual nod to their famous comedic routines, wherein ordinary tools become vehicles for chaos and ingenuity. The phrase "to cleanse the Sahara" humorously underscores the absurdity of their tasks and reflects the quixotic nature of human endeavor. The mops and buckets, mundane symbols of labor, transform into "charms" in their hands, encapsulating the duo?s power to find humor and possibility in the impossible.

The culmination of the poem arrives with their impromptu dance. As "they put down / The mops and buckets" and "begin dancing," they defy both the expectations of their grim setting and the rules of order. Their "calm, sure, delicate disregard / For all close-order drill" is a testament to their defiance of conformity and their embrace of creative spontaneity. This dance, both literal and symbolic, becomes an act of joy and rebellion, asserting the enduring power of humor and humanity against the backdrop of life?s absurdities.

Wagoner’s poem reveres Laurel and Hardy not merely as entertainers but as figures who illuminate the resilience of the human spirit. Through their comedic lens, they reveal the paradoxical truths of existence: the simultaneous joy and futility of striving, the beauty in failure, and the power of laughter to transcend despair. In "For Laurel and Hardy on My Workroom Wall", Wagoner invites readers to view life with the same "delicate disregard" for its harshness, finding grace and meaning in the dance.

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