Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alice Fulton's "Doing the Evolution Shuffle" explores the dualities of human nature, juxtaposing primal instincts with the pursuit of higher ideals. Through vivid metaphors and introspective reflections, the poem delves into the tension between base impulses and the aspirations toward abstract virtues like love.

The poem opens with a candid admission of feeling connected to "low-life instincts," likening the speaker's primal urges to sharing a space with apes. This metaphor suggests a deep, almost familial bond with our evolutionary past, where "the apes rise in my genes and call me sister." This imagery captures the inescapable nature of our inherited instincts, highlighting the struggle between these impulses and the desire for a more refined existence.

Fulton vividly describes how negative emotions like hate "clog my brainstem like a bad drain," evoking the physical and mental burden of such feelings. This visceral metaphor underscores the difficulty of overcoming these base instincts, which can obstruct the flow of more enlightened thoughts and actions.

In contrast, the speaker's better days are depicted as moments of transcending these primal urges, "edging toward one of the shining abstracts," with love being a prime example. The image of the mind "bobbing, a white mum above the body's rubble" suggests a delicate, ephemeral quality to these higher ideals, symbolized by a white chrysanthemum floating above the chaos of physical existence. This flower, representing purity and transcendence, contrasts starkly with the earlier imagery of clogged drains and primal instincts.

The speaker's sense of soaring above the mundane concerns of daily life, such as the neighbor's superficial preoccupations with "fast tans, bucks, bitches out to get her man," reflects a detachment from these lower impulses. Instead, the speaker is attuned to the "molecules' spark" and "the DNA's game for change," recognizing the potential for evolution and transformation within themselves and humanity as a whole.

Fulton introduces the concept of evolution as both a literal and metaphorical process, where "friction kindles a new species" over millennia. This idea suggests that the struggle between our base instincts and higher aspirations is a driving force for personal and collective evolution. The "halting dawn" that "consents to gentle the sting of consciousness" symbolizes the gradual, sometimes hesitant progress toward a more enlightened state of being.

In "Doing the Evolution Shuffle," Alice Fulton masterfully captures the ongoing dance between our primal heritage and our aspirations for higher ideals. The poem's vivid imagery and introspective tone invite readers to reflect on their own inner conflicts and the potential for growth and transformation. Through this exploration, Fulton highlights the complexity of human nature and the continuous effort required to evolve beyond our base instincts toward a more conscious and compassionate existence.

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