Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Ashbery's poem "Operators Are Standing By" is a playful and enigmatic exploration of memory, identity, and the passage of time. Ashbery's distinctive style, marked by its associative leaps and non-linear narrative, creates a dreamlike and whimsical atmosphere that invites various interpretations.

The poem begins with an absurd image: a cheese rinse for "disturbed or depressed hair" that you add whiskey to. This peculiar product, proposed as a potential Christmas purchase, sets the tone for the poem's whimsical and surreal exploration of the mundane and the extraordinary. The mention of Christmas juxtaposed with the whimsical cheese rinse suggests a critique of commercialization and the bizarre nature of consumer products.

The reference to hitting a "halloween homerun" and the subsequent "strawberry jar" effect is an intriguing blend of nostalgia and physical sensation. The imagery of something flowing back into the speaker’s side creates a sense of past experiences merging into the present, blurring the lines between different times and events.

The character Olin is introduced as someone significant to the speaker, yet the nature of their relationship is ambiguous. The statement "Determining everyone is a bigshot is sometimes all he cares about" suggests a preoccupation with status or appearances. The shared experiences of sleeping on the ground and being in a birchbark canoe indicate a close, possibly adventurous relationship, further complicated by the mention of there once being "two of him."

The school setting and the inability of others to distinguish between the speaker and Olin until they smiled or laughed hints at a deep connection, possibly twinship or a metaphor for two sides of the same person. This idea of dual identity or mirrored selves is further explored through the speaker's claim of coming in "six different packages," ranging from the "jewel case" to "Wrigley's spearmint."

The theme of transformation and multiplicity continues with the speaker's reflection on how "venery" has taken its toll on Olin, drawing a connection to Venus and the hunt. This could symbolize the impact of love or desire on identity and the ways in which people change over time.

The journey to the Shedd Aquarium, marked by following "friendly moose droppings," adds a layer of whimsy and randomness to the poem. The act of wandering in and out of fish tanks and leaving a handprint on the glass for the fish suggests a desire for connection and communication across boundaries, even in the most unlikely of circumstances.

In summary, "Operators Are Standing By" by John Ashbery is a whimsical and multifaceted poem that weaves together surreal imagery, personal reflections, and playful language to explore themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time. Ashbery's use of absurd and unexpected elements invites the reader to engage with the poem on a sensory and imaginative level, opening up multiple avenues for interpretation and reflection on the complexities of human experience.

POEM TEXT: https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Operators+are+standing+by.-a016040349

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