Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Wrigley’s "Parking" is a reflective poem that juxtaposes the nostalgia of youthful passion with the settled rhythms of middle age. Through vivid imagery and contemplative musings, Wrigley examines the interplay between memory, place, and time, pondering the changes in both personal experience and societal dynamics.

The poem opens with a statement of stability: "Today I live where I have always been an adult, / where I have always kept the same job, known the same friends, / driven the same streets." This grounding sets the speaker firmly in a present defined by routine and constancy. However, this sense of predictability contrasts sharply with the restless energy of his memories, which are imbued with longing for the vitality of youth. The repetition of "always" underscores the permanence of his current state, yet also hints at a yearning for something lost.

The speaker’s reflection pivots to the past, evoking a time when "the coupled cars"—symbols of youthful romance and rebellion—were omnipresent. The parked cars, "bumper to bumper, or side by side, / windows glazed, sweat-ridden, sodden with fumbling and passion," serve as a metaphor for the unbridled energy and exploration of adolescence. The imagery is raw and physical, capturing the urgency and awkwardness of first love and desire. These moments, rooted in a shared cultural ritual, now seem distant and elusive.

The poem shifts to consider the changes in landscape and culture. In the "empty West," the speaker wonders if the cars and the passion they symbolize have disappeared: "Are they lost so easily, so easily vanished / into forests, arroyos, the blind rutted ranch roads to nowhere?" The vastness of the Western landscape contrasts with the confined, intimate spaces of the parked cars, highlighting a sense of disconnection or absence. The speaker’s questioning—"Or were we—miners? children, blessed in beer and whiskey, / salted early by the salty tongues of grandmothers— / allowed a wilderness our earth could no longer afford?"—introduces a broader societal commentary. He reflects on the freedoms of his youth, shaped by rural settings and generational grit, and wonders if such experiences are now irretrievable in a changing world.

The poem’s tone shifts again as the speaker considers the present: "I would not trade / the familiar bedroom, the creak of spring, / the ease of middle age." Here, the speaker acknowledges the comforts and stability of his current life. The "creak of spring" suggests both the physical wear of time and the enduring intimacy of his relationship. Yet, even in this acknowledgment, there is a desire to hold on to the past, to believe in the persistence of youthful ardor: "But somewhere I want to believe the cars still rumble into place, / those hot rods, the lucky ramblers in the station wagons of their fathers."

The final stanza deepens this yearning, expressing a hope for passion as "keen / as the homing pigeon?s, who reconnoiters, banks, lands, / and coos like a fool in the dark." The homing pigeon becomes a poignant metaphor for the pull of instinct and memory, a creature driven by an unerring sense of place and purpose. The pigeon’s "coos like a fool in the dark" evoke both the innocence and intensity of youthful desire, qualities the speaker admires even as he recognizes their distance from his current life.

Wrigley’s free verse structure mirrors the wandering nature of memory, allowing the poem to flow seamlessly between past and present, personal and universal. The language is unadorned yet evocative, capturing the physicality of youthful passion and the quiet introspection of middle age. The tone is wistful but not mournful, balancing nostalgia with a deep appreciation for the present.

"Parking" is a meditation on the passage of time and the enduring imprint of youthful experiences. Through its vivid imagery and reflective narrative, Robert Wrigley explores the tension between memory and change, celebrating both the intensity of youthful ardor and the quiet contentment of maturity. The poem resonates as a tribute to the ways in which our pasts shape our present, urging us to find meaning and beauty in every stage of life.

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