Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Difficult Body" by Mark Wunderlich, the poet examines the tension between life, death, and the physical form, using vivid, sometimes shocking imagery to explore the disintegration of the body and the existential reflection that arises from it. The poem juxtaposes the brutal realities of animal death with the religious and symbolic portrayal of human sanctity, ultimately posing a meditation on mortality, spirituality, and the legacy one leaves behind.

The poem begins with a stark and visceral image: "There was a cow in the road, struck by a semi— / half-moon of carcass and jutting legs." The cow, a domestic animal, is gruesomely struck by a semi-truck, its body laid out in a "half-moon" shape, suggesting both the unnatural way its body has been contorted and the tragic nature of its death. The cow's eyes, "already milky with dust and snow, rolled upward," evoke the image of life leaving the body, the milky eyes symbolizing both the fading of vision and the inevitable decay that follows death. The physical description of the cow's body, "tired of this world tilted on its side," presents death as a release from the strain of existence, yet the reference to the cow being "tired of this world" implies a certain resignation, a desire for escape from the painful conditions of life.

The speaker and their companion drive "through the pink light of the police cruiser," an almost surreal moment that juxtaposes the mundane with the haunting. The pink light, associated with emergency and distress, casts a sickly hue over the scene of death, making the disfigurement of the cow even more pronounced. "Her broken flank blowing steam in the air" adds an element of corporeal violence to the image, the steam representing the last traces of life escaping from the body. The visceral depiction of death here underscores the difficult, unsettling reality of the physical body’s breakdown.

The next part of the poem introduces another animal death, this time a deer, which is "crushed" and seemingly doomed. However, the "drama reversed" when the doe, not dead, manages to drag herself with her front legs into the ditch. The "first consequence, then action" suggests a shift in narrative order, where the impact of the animal’s death is delayed, and the aftermath is confronted with an almost surreal persistence of life. Despite the crushing injury, the deer lives on briefly, moving "with front legs" into the ditch, a symbol of the tenacity of life even in the face of overwhelming physical destruction. This lingering survival of the animal becomes all the more tragic when the speaker’s father "went to her, stunned her / with a tire iron before cutting her throat," a merciless, pragmatic act of euthanasia. This moment of violent mercy is juxtaposed with the earlier image of the cow’s helplessness and death, providing an unsettling reflection on the human role in ending suffering or causing harm.

The poem then shifts to a religious reference with the image of "the body of St. Francis in the Arizona desert," a scene that contrasts with the visceral descriptions of animal death. St. Francis, known for his devotion to the natural world and his humble existence, is depicted in a sacred, yet impersonal manner: "carved from wood and laid in his casket, / lovingly dressed in red and white satin / covered in petitions—medals, locks of hair, / photos of infants, his head lifted and stroked." St. Francis' body, here transformed into a lifeless object, is adorned with religious tokens and symbols of devotion, emphasizing the ritualistic reverence accorded to him after his death. This image of a "dry body" calls attention to the difference between human sanctity and animal suffering. St. Francis, while revered, is ultimately a "carapace"—a hollow form, drained of life but preserved as a symbol.

The stark contrast between the body of St. Francis and the animals described earlier leads the speaker to reflect on their own mortality. "I will not be like you, / carapace. A chalky shell scooped of its life." The speaker rejects the idea of becoming an empty, venerated shell, a mere object of reverence or ritual. The "chalky shell" symbolizes a lifeless form, emptied of vitality and meaning, and the speaker desires to leave something more substantive behind, something that is not simply a "carapace," but a legacy that retains its essence even in death.

The closing lines, "I will leave less than this behind me," indicate the speaker’s resignation to the fact that, unlike St. Francis, they may not be venerated or memorialized in such a grand, symbolic way. Yet this acceptance seems to be the poem’s emotional core—the recognition that life’s value may not lie in the immortality of the body or the legacy left in tangible, enduring forms, but in the more ephemeral aspects of living and dying. The speaker’s reluctance to become a "carapace" suggests a desire for a more authentic existence, one in which the living body is not merely a vehicle for the spirit but an active participant in the meaning of life.

“Difficult Body” is a poignant meditation on the physicality of life, the inevitability of death, and the way human bodies, like those of animals, are subject to the forces of time, decay, and violence. Through the raw imagery of animal death and the religious symbolism of St. Francis, the poem explores the tension between the sanctity of life and the harsh realities of existence. Ultimately, Wunderlich reflects on what it means to live authentically in a world where both life and death are difficult, and where the body, despite its inevitable decay, plays an essential role in shaping one’s experience.

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