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OVER AT THE MUTTS', by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography


"Over at the Mutts'" by John Ashbery captures a dreamlike, surreal quality, blending disjointed narratives and images to create an enigmatic tapestry of thoughts and scenes. The poem's non-linear structure and stream-of-consciousness style are characteristic of Ashbery's work, challenging traditional notions of coherence and meaning in poetry.

The opening lines, "Funny, it says 'hidden drive.' Look where you’re going! I do, yet no drive emerges," immediately immerse the reader in a disorienting environment where expectations are subverted, and the familiar becomes unfamiliar. This could symbolize the unpredictability and uncertainty of life, where paths and destinations are not always clear or apparent.

The poem's voice shifts unpredictably, moving from reflective musings to conversational snippets, creating a sense of fragmentation. This fragmentation reflects the complexity of human consciousness and the multifaceted nature of experience. The reference to the console radio and the statement "you are your own hair and father" further add to the surreal quality, suggesting a blending of identities and a questioning of self-perception.

The mention of living close to a canal and the noise of fish introduces an element of the absurd, playing with the idea of the mundane and the extraordinary coexisting. The mention of barometric pressure and its effects on the speaker introduces a physical, tangible element to the poem, grounding the abstract in the real.

The conversation about waiting for a train and the destinations it might reach speaks to the theme of journey and exploration, both literal and metaphorical. The train's potential stops in places with "plums and wolverines" adds a whimsical, fantastical element, contrasting with the mundane reality of waiting.

The poem's conclusion, with the speaker turning to chalk and taking both the speaker and the reader with them, suggests a dissolution of boundaries between self and other, reality and imagination. It implies a transformative experience, one that is both disorienting and enlightening.

In "Over at the Mutts'," Ashbery plays with language, form, and narrative to explore the complexities of perception, identity, and experience. The poem invites the reader to embrace ambiguity and find meaning in the interplay of the absurd and the profound.


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