Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Wrigley’s "Bovinity" is a contemplative exploration of existence, empathy, and the blurred boundaries between human and animal consciousness. Through its vivid descriptions and speculative tone, the poem reflects on the dreaming steer as a symbol of the larger mysteries of life and death, capturing the animal’s moment of repose while meditating on its precarious place within the natural and human-altered world.

The poem opens with a serene image: "The steer has found, among the mud and diminishing islands of snow, a cropped-off but less coagulate expanse where it can lie and sleep awhile." This description situates the reader in a transitional landscape, where winter’s remnants linger but the promise of renewal is hinted at. The steer, finding a rare moment of comfort, becomes a focal point of calm in this in-between world. The specificity of the scene—the mud, snow, and flattened ground—underscores the fragile conditions in which rest is possible, even for a domesticated animal shaped by human intervention.

As the speaker observes the steer, they note the "ordinary mammalian evidence that it is dreaming," such as a quivering ear and twitching hoof. These small, relatable details invite an empathetic connection, bridging the gap between human and animal experience. The speaker’s question—"But of what? I wonder."—opens the poem into a speculative meditation on the steer’s inner life. This inquiry highlights a central tension: the human tendency to project meaning onto animals versus the unknowability of their experiences.

The speaker’s imagination unfolds a series of possibilities for the steer’s dreams: "Fields of tall grass forever? / A hay crib Jesus dispensing infinite fodder?" These images reflect the steer’s dependence on humans for sustenance and its confinement to a life dictated by agricultural systems. The invocation of "Jesus" humorously yet poignantly underscores the steer’s vulnerability and reliance on an external provider. The question, however, evolves beyond food, suggesting the steer might dream of "the litheness of its cousins, the deer and the elk." This shift introduces a wistful longing for freedom and agility, qualities denied to the steer by its domesticated existence.

The speaker’s self-awareness surfaces in their admission: "Though it may be in this way I diminish it." This acknowledgment of the limitations of human interpretation underscores the complexity of the speaker’s empathy. By attributing specific dreams or desires to the steer, they risk reducing its existence to anthropocentric terms. The steer’s potential awareness of the "cowbird... having alighted on its broad neck" introduces a mythic dimension, with the bird likened to "Nyx, consort of Erebus," the primordial goddess of night. Here, the steer’s dreams are reimagined as transcendent, blending day and night, reality and dream.

The cowbird becomes a powerful symbol: "Perhaps the cowbird is no bird at all, but the dream, and the dream is flying." This line reframes the act of dreaming as an expansive, liberating force, allowing the steer to transcend its physical limitations and confined existence. The bird’s flight embodies the freedom and transcendence that the steer, in its earthbound state, can only experience through its imagination.

The speaker’s reflection turns inward, questioning their own role in the steer’s existence: "And what of me then? Even in its sleep it may be aware of the presence of the maker of fences, bringer of the gun." This self-scrutiny acknowledges the human responsibility for the steer’s domestication and eventual fate. The mention of "the high-backed truck and the hunchbacked butcher" starkly reminds the reader of the steer’s mortality and the commodification of its life. These human creations—tools of control and death—contrast sharply with the steer’s imagined soaring flight, underscoring the tension between freedom and confinement.

The poem’s conclusion offers a poignant and haunting vision: "It fears not, as it lifts and pumps its enormous wings and soars over the vast brown and white body of the earth." This image transcends the boundaries of species and physical reality, imagining the steer as a creature of flight, liberated from its earthly constraints. The juxtaposition of the "brown and white body of the earth" with the steer’s imagined flight elevates the animal’s existence, transforming it into a symbol of resilience and the universal yearning for transcendence.

Wrigley’s use of fluid, reflective language and layered imagery allows the poem to oscillate between the concrete and the abstract, mirroring the speaker’s shifting perspective. The interplay of empathy, projection, and self-awareness creates a rich tapestry of thought, inviting readers to contemplate the intersections of human and animal lives.

"Bovinity" is a profound meditation on the complexities of existence, the unknowability of dreams, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. Through its evocative imagery and reflective tone, Robert Wrigley captures a moment of quiet observation and transforms it into a philosophical exploration of freedom, mortality, and the fragile beauty of life. The poem resonates as a reminder of the humility required to engage with the natural world and the mysteries it holds.

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