Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Wrigley’s "Mowing" is a layered and reflective meditation on the cyclical nature of human labor, the passage of time, and the inevitability of decay and renewal. By grounding the poem in the familiar act of mowing a suburban lawn, Wrigley explores themes of transformation, destruction, and memory, weaving together the mundane and the profound with vivid imagery and an understated lyricism.

The poem opens in a scene of quiet domesticity: "Sleepy and suburban at dusk, / I learn again the yard’s / geometry." The speaker’s task of mowing is rendered both habitual and intimate, as the act becomes a way of understanding the "geometry" of the yard—a space that is both personal and ever-changing. The description of "circling trees and shrubs" and giving "a wide berth to the berry patch" conveys a sense of care and familiarity, while also hinting at the boundaries between human intention and the unruliness of nature. The "weedy knots of flowers" and "sprawled out of its bounds" berry patch suggest the persistence of natural chaos, even within the carefully managed confines of a suburban lawn.

As the speaker pushes the mower through "a fairway of dandelions," he reflects on the absurdity of this repetitive labor: "The average lawn, left alone / one hundred years, could become / a hardwood forest." This observation introduces a tension between the fleeting order imposed by mowing and the inexorable processes of nature, which would reclaim the space if left undisturbed. The speaker’s acknowledgment of this futility is tempered by his continuation of the task, underscoring the human tendency to persist in rituals despite their impermanence.

The mood shifts abruptly with the encounter at the "yellowjacket hive." The speaker’s mowing disturbs the hive, triggering a sudden and visceral confrontation with nature’s unpredictability. The sting—described as "a quick embrace and release, / like the dared kid’s run and touch / of a blind man"—is both painful and metaphorically rich, suggesting a momentary but profound intersection between human and non-human forces. The chaos that ensues—"the mower flopped on its side, wild blade loose / in the darkening air"—contrasts sharply with the earlier sense of order and control, as the speaker’s actions inadvertently unleash a small, chaotic violence.

The speaker’s response—"a can of gasoline, a five-foot torch"—is one of decisive and destructive retribution. The description of the hive’s destruction—"One low whump and it’s over"—is both chilling and matter-of-fact, capturing the human impulse to eradicate perceived threats with overwhelming force. Yet the aftermath is tinged with a sense of unease: "Stragglers, late returners, cruise / wide circles around the ruins." These lines suggest the persistence of life even in the face of annihilation, as the surviving yellowjackets embody nature’s resilience.

The poem transitions from the immediate violence of the hive’s destruction to a broader meditation on the passage of time. The blackened hole left by the fire becomes a lasting scar on the lawn, a symbol of both the act of destruction and the persistence of memory. The image of "a light / late snow" covering the lawn’s imperfections—"crabgrass / hummocks, high maple roots, / the mushroom-laden fairy ring"—introduces a note of temporary beauty and erasure. The snow acts as a "thin and cold / camouflage," momentarily obscuring the marks of time and labor but unable to erase them entirely.

The speaker’s reflections deepen as the poem moves toward its conclusion, where the sounds and sensations of the present evoke memories of the past: "I think of a gold / that is sweet and unguent, a gold / that is a blaze of years behind me." This "gold" could symbolize the warmth and vitality of youth, juxtaposed with the winter cold that now surrounds the speaker. The final lines—"as though the present itself / were a kind of memory, coiled, waiting, / dying to be seen from tomorrow"—capture the elusive nature of time, where each moment is imbued with both immediacy and the inevitability of becoming the past.

Wrigley’s free verse structure mirrors the fluidity of thought and memory, allowing the poem to move seamlessly between concrete details and abstract reflections. The language is precise yet expansive, grounding the poem in the physicality of the scene while also inviting broader interpretations of its themes.

"Mowing" is a meditation on the tension between human effort and nature’s indifference, the cycles of destruction and renewal, and the ways in which the past persists in the present. Through its vivid imagery and reflective tone, Robert Wrigley transforms a simple act of mowing the lawn into a profound exploration of time, memory, and the enduring interplay between control and chaos in the natural world.

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