Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s "The Messengers" is a rich and meditative poem that delves into themes of connection, distance, and the delicate balance between emotion and physicality. The poem weaves together human and animal figures—Broderick, a dog, and Allen, presumably a human—with descriptions of their physical presence and emotional undercurrents. Through his characteristic sparse and fragmented style, Creeley captures the tension between physical appearance and emotional depth, between the desire to connect and the barriers that stand in the way.

The poem opens with the line, "The huge dog, Broderick, and the smile of the quick eyes of Allen light a kind world." This immediately introduces the two central figures: Broderick, a large dog, and Allen, who is human. The use of "huge" to describe Broderick emphasizes the dog's physicality, while "the smile of the quick eyes of Allen" suggests a lively, sharp presence in Allen. The juxtaposition of these two figures—one animal and one human—sets up a contrast between their physical forms but also hints at an emotional or spiritual connection. The phrase "light a kind world" evokes a sense of warmth and gentleness, as if the simple presence of these two beings brings kindness into the world around them.

The next lines, "Their feelings, under some distance of remote skin, must touch, wondering at what impatience does block them," introduce a more complex emotional dynamic. Here, Creeley suggests that beneath the surface—"under some distance of remote skin"—there is a shared emotional experience between Broderick and Allen, though it is not easily expressed or understood. The idea that their feelings "must touch" conveys a sense of inevitability or longing for connection, yet the phrase "what impatience does block them" indicates that something is preventing this connection from fully manifesting. This could refer to the barriers of communication between animal and human or to the broader difficulties that arise when trying to express deep emotions. The "impatience" suggests frustration, as if both figures are aware of their mutual feelings but are hindered by external or internal obstacles.

The line "So little love / to share among so many" introduces a poignant reflection on scarcity—specifically, the scarcity of love. In a world filled with so many people, creatures, and experiences, there is only a limited amount of love to go around. This sense of limited emotional resources adds to the feeling of frustration and longing that pervades the poem. The contrast between "so little love" and "so many" evokes a world where emotional connections are both vital and elusive, where the desire to connect is often thwarted by the limitations of time, space, and circumstance.

The poem then shifts to a more detailed description of Broderick and Allen’s physical appearances: "so much yellow-orange hair, on the one, and on the other, such a darkness of long hanging hair now." The "yellow-orange hair" likely refers to Broderick, emphasizing the dog’s physicality and natural beauty, while "the darkness of long hanging hair" belongs to Allen. This contrast between light and dark suggests a deeper duality between the two figures—perhaps between the animal and the human, between physical presence and emotional complexity, or between strength and vulnerability.

The line "such slightness of body, and a voice that rises on the sounds of feeling" shifts the focus to Allen’s emotional expression. The "slightness of body" contrasts with Broderick’s "huge" form, emphasizing Allen’s physical vulnerability. However, it is Allen’s voice that becomes the primary vehicle for emotion. The phrase "a voice that rises on the sounds of feeling" suggests that Allen’s voice is deeply connected to emotion, that it carries or expresses the intensity of what is felt. This idea of the voice as a conduit for feeling ties into the poem’s broader exploration of how emotions are communicated and shared, despite the barriers that may exist.

The exclamation "Aie!" signals a moment of heightened emotion, a cry that seems to capture the intensity of the feelings being described. This exclamation, followed by the description "It raises the world, lifts, falls, like a sudden sunlight," suggests that Allen’s emotional expression has the power to uplift or transform the world around them. The comparison to sunlight evokes warmth, light, and clarity, as if this moment of emotional expression briefly illuminates the world in a powerful way. However, this light is fleeting—it "falls," much like sunlight fades as the day moves on.

The final lines of the poem, "like that edge of the black night sweeps the low lying fields, of soft grasses, bodies, fills them with quiet longing," return to the theme of longing. The "black night" sweeping over the fields suggests the passage of time, the inevitability of darkness, and the quiet that follows the day’s activity. The image of "soft grasses, bodies" conveys a sense of vulnerability and stillness, as if the figures in the poem are now at rest, filled with a subdued but persistent longing. This final image encapsulates the emotional undercurrent of the poem—a yearning for connection and understanding that is both profound and elusive, much like the quiet beauty of a night settling over a landscape.

Structurally, "The Messengers" follows Creeley’s signature use of short, enjambed lines that create a sense of fluidity and motion. The lack of punctuation allows the poem to flow naturally, mirroring the way emotions and thoughts move and shift. The fragmented structure reflects the complexity of the emotional landscape being explored, as the poem moves between physical descriptions and abstract reflections on connection and longing.

Thematically, the poem delves into the tension between physical presence and emotional depth, exploring how love and connection are both vital and difficult to attain. The figures of Broderick and Allen represent both the desire for connection and the barriers that stand in the way, while the imagery of light, shadow, and night evoke the fleeting nature of these emotional experiences.

In conclusion, Robert Creeley’s "The Messengers" is a contemplative meditation on connection, longing, and the barriers to emotional expression. Through minimalistic language and evocative imagery, the poem explores the complex relationship between physical presence and emotional depth, capturing the tension between the desire to connect and the limitations that prevent full understanding. The figures of Broderick and Allen, along with the shifting light and darkness of the natural world, serve as metaphors for the elusive and fleeting nature of love and emotional fulfillment.

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