Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gary Snyder’s "Surrounded by Wild Turkeys" is a quiet meditation on nature’s continuity and the mirrored rhythms of human and animal existence. The poem’s simple, unadorned language evokes a sense of stillness and transience, placing the speaker within the natural world rather than above or apart from it. The imagery unfolds gently: “Little calls as they pass / Through dry forbs and grasses / Under blue oak and gray digger pine.” The turkeys are moving through a landscape both specific and universal—California’s oak woodlands, marked by familiar trees and the golden dryness of late summer or early autumn, but also representative of any natural setting where life moves unobtrusively through cycles of birth, growth, and departure.

The second stanza, “Twenty or more, long-legged birds / all alike,” emphasizes the communal nature of the turkeys. They are a group, indistinguishable from one another in their collective movement. In this sameness, Snyder introduces the poem’s deeper resonance: “So are we, in our soft calling, / passing on through.” The parallel between the turkeys and human beings is subtle but profound. Like the birds, we move through the landscape, calling softly to one another, our lives fleeting and indistinct in the vast scheme of things. The act of “passing on through” suggests impermanence, a transitory existence where neither turkeys nor humans leave lasting marks on the land.

The poem’s closing lines, “Our young, which trail after, / Look just like us,” complete the analogy with quiet inevitability. The young turkeys, like human children, follow their elders, learning their ways, moving through the same spaces, destined to continue the cycle. This observation is neither celebratory nor mournful; it simply acknowledges a truth of existence. The structure of the poem reflects this fluidity—short, flowing lines that mimic the gentle motion of the turkeys, the passage of time, and the breath-like quality of living itself.

Snyder’s characteristic ecological awareness is present, but in a subdued form. There is no overt political or environmental message, only an invitation to see the world with clarity and humility. The mention of “forest-fire haze” subtly situates the scene within a changing and threatened landscape, yet the turkeys continue their passage, indifferent to human concerns. Their movement is ancient, unaffected by civilization’s worries, and in this, they provide a model for how to exist in the world with quiet acceptance.

Ultimately, "Surrounded by Wild Turkeys" is a poem of gentle recognition. It places humans within, not outside, the web of life, reminding us that we are just another species moving through time, leaving only echoes of our presence behind.

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