Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "The Plan Is the Body," Robert Creeley meditates on the relationship between mind and body, examining how physical existence grounds identity and shapes experience. Through repetition and fragmented language, Creeley delves into the body as both the blueprint and the vehicle for life’s moments, where memory, thought, and physical sensation converge. The poem’s refrain—“The plan is the body”—serves as both a mantra and a philosophical assertion, suggesting that while the mind formulates, it is the body that enacts and retains the essence of one’s lived experiences.

The opening line, “The plan is the body,” immediately grounds the poem in the corporeal, proposing that the body itself serves as a fundamental organizing principle for existence. This concept, that the body contains a “plan,” implies that it is through the body that life’s moments are realized, that the physical self holds a structure or purpose which the mind may only partially grasp. This framing suggests that physicality is not secondary to thought or consciousness but is in fact integral to understanding and remembering, anchoring the mind’s abstractions in the realm of the tangible and concrete.

“There is each moment a pattern. / There is each time something for everyone.” These lines introduce the idea of life as a sequence of recurring patterns, moments that, while individually fleeting, contribute to a larger rhythm or structure. The repetition of “each” implies universality, suggesting that these patterns are shared experiences within the human condition. The pattern of moments hints at life’s cyclical nature, where each instant connects to another, creating continuity even amid constant change. This rhythm—described as “something for everyone”—reflects a collective human experience that transcends individual moments, reminding us that while each experience is unique, the process of embodiment and memory is universal.

“The mind is in the head. / It’s a moment in time, an instant, second.” This line distills the mind to a simple location within the body, contrasting the mind’s fleeting nature with the body’s enduring presence. By saying, “It’s a moment in time,” Creeley implies that thought and memory are transient, slipping away as soon as they occur. This sense of impermanence contrasts with the body’s constancy, as if to say that the mind’s ephemerality is grounded by the physicality of the body. These lines reinforce the notion that while thoughts come and go, the body remains as the consistent, material repository of those experiences.

“The rhythm of one / and one, and one, and one. / The two, the three.” This line emphasizes the fundamental beats of existence, evoking a cadence that echoes the heartbeat, the breath, or the steps taken in life’s journey. This rhythmic counting suggests that life unfolds as a series of simple, repetitive actions that, when combined, create something greater. “The two, the three” could signify relational or multiplicative aspects of life, hinting at the ways individuals connect with others, expanding from a singular to a collective experience. The counting also evokes the passing of time, each beat a marker of existence within the body’s physical framework.

The refrain “The plan is the body” reappears with increasing significance, anchoring the speaker’s reflections. The body as “plan” suggests that it embodies both the intention and the means of life, serving as a living record of experiences. The line “Hold it an instant, in the mind—hold it” captures a desire to grasp fleeting moments, to bridge the gap between experience and understanding. However, this grasping is temporary, as the mind struggles to hold onto moments that are anchored in the physical realm. This phrase underscores the inherent challenge of reconciling mental and physical experiences, where memory and presence are always in tension, with the mind reaching to preserve what the body inherently remembers.

“What was said you said. The two, the three, / times in the body, hands, feet, you remember—” shifts the focus to the act of remembering within the body itself. By locating memory in the “hands, feet,” Creeley suggests that the body carries its own memory, independent of conscious thought. The repetition of actions—“times in the body”—implies that physical repetition embeds memory within the body, where it becomes part of one’s identity. This line highlights the body’s capacity to retain experiences, as though each gesture, each movement, contributes to a deep, somatic memory that exists alongside cognitive recollection.

The lines “Times you didn’t want to, times you can’t think you want to, you. / Me, me, remember, me here, me wants to, me am thinking of you” capture an inner dialogue of longing and memory, where the speaker grapples with desires both resisted and embraced. The repetition of “you” and “me” creates a rhythm of personal connection, as if the speaker is reaching out to both the self and the other, seeking to reconcile conflicting desires and memories. This yearning to connect—to remember, to feel, to be present—underscores the struggle to hold onto relationships and experiences through the body’s senses, which are at once intimate and elusive.

The repeated refrain, “The plan is the body. The sky is the sky. / The mother, the father— the plan is the body,” reinforces the concept of the body as the foundation of identity and experience, grounding abstract concepts like “sky,” “mother,” and “father” in physical reality. These lines suggest that elemental aspects of life—family, nature, relationships—are inseparable from bodily experience, as if each individual’s existence is defined and validated through physical presence. The rhetorical question “Who can read it?” hints at the mystery of understanding oneself or another purely through bodily experience, suggesting that the body’s “plan” is elusive, even as it shapes every moment.

“Plan is the body. The mind is the plan. / I— / speaking.” This line introduces a subtle shift, suggesting that the mind itself has its own structure or “plan,” parallel to the body. By juxtaposing “the mind is the plan” with the refrain, Creeley implies that both mind and body have their own roles in shaping experience, yet they are distinct. The speaker’s declaration, “I— / speaking,” captures the act of self-expression as a bridge between mind and body, where language becomes a means of embodying thought. This moment of speech represents the intersection of physical and mental existence, where the act of speaking becomes an assertion of both identity and connection.

The final, repeated refrain, “The plan is the body,” serves as both conclusion and affirmation, reinforcing the poem’s exploration of embodiment as the foundation of existence. By ending on this line, Creeley underscores the primacy of the physical self, suggesting that all experiences—thoughts, emotions, memories—are ultimately anchored in the body.

In "The Plan Is the Body," Robert Creeley delves into the interplay between mind and body, using repetition and fragmented syntax to explore how physical existence shapes perception, memory, and identity. The refrain, “The plan is the body,” emphasizes the body as the blueprint for life’s experiences, suggesting that the self is rooted in physicality, where each moment, each movement, contributes to a larger pattern of existence. Through its minimalist structure and rhythmic language, the poem reflects the ways in which mind and body co-create the sense of self, affirming the body’s central role as both vessel and record of life. Ultimately, "The Plan Is the Body" offers a meditation on the inseparable connection between physical presence and personal identity, suggesting that to live and remember is to experience through the body’s enduring, complex plan.

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