Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Ways of Keys" by Stephen Dobyns is a meditative and richly symbolic poem that explores themes of communication, loss, and existential search for meaning through the abstract and evocative imagery of keys, bells, and light. Dobyns weaves a contemplative narrative that delves into the nature of expression and the limits of language, reflecting a deep sense of personal and philosophical introspection.

The poem begins with "the justice of bells, persistent in ringing," a line that sets a tone of inevitability and perhaps the unrelenting nature of truth or consequence. Bells, traditionally symbols of announcement and clarity, contrast sharply with the following images of obscured and limited light—a "dark lantern emitting a single ray, one red beam." This juxtaposition introduces a central tension in the poem: the struggle between revelation and concealment, between the clarity of sound and the narrowness of vision.

Dobyns extends this imagery to the natural world with the sun's last light fading over "fields quiet with horses," evoking a scene of serene but melancholic closure. This transition from day into night parallels the poet's reflection on the overwhelming nature of existence—"There are too many things, too much to touch upon"—and his feeling of becoming "an absence," suggesting a loss of self amidst the vastness of experience.

The poet's sense of disconnection deepens with the image of leaving his "tongue and small list of essential words in a locker at a station surrounded by the old and poor." This stark scene underscores themes of abandonment and silence, as those around him are engrossed in their own privations, "staring into their hands." The key, which he offers in lieu of speech, becomes a symbol of his mute isolation, "soundless" and pointing to a "number which is empty."

As the poem progresses, the fragmentation of language becomes more pronounced. Words slip from the poet's grasp and appear as "fragments far beneath me, flickering like candles about to go out." This imagery suggests the fragile and transient nature of communication and understanding, which are as fleeting and fragile as the dying light of candles.

In his existential quest, the poet imagines alternative ways of expression: lying, speaking by numbers, and giving voice to a key that might traverse the landscape, "wrapped in its mutterings." This fantastical vision extends to the idea of a miniature train stocked with "words, fragments stolen from churches, schools," indicating a desire to collect and redistribute these fragments of meaning in a personal journey into the homes and minds of others.

The closing lines return to the motif of the bell and its justice, seeking a sound that is "circular, going round with no knowledge of stopping." The poet longs for a continuity and constancy that seems absent in his fragmented reality. The image of lying down next to a dark lantern, becoming "both entrance and exit of light," symbolizes a profound merging with the source of knowledge and illumination, transcending the limitations of language and existence.

"The Ways of Keys" is a complex, layered poem that grapples with the limitations of human expression and the elusive nature of truth and understanding. Through its symbolic use of keys, light, and sound, the poem offers a poignant reflection on the ways we attempt to unlock meaning in a world often characterized by obscurity and loss.

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