Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Texas" by Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge is a contemplative exploration of perception, memory, and the transformative power of observation. Through the motif of a table, Berssenbrugge delves into the complex interplay between the tangible and intangible, the physical and psychological landscapes that shape our experiences and understandings of the world.

The poem begins with a seemingly simple act of using a table as a reference point, a grounding object in the physical world. However, this mundane act evolves into a profound meditation on the nature of reality and the role of the observer in creating meaning. Berssenbrugge suggests that the arrangement of objects and people in a specific order imbues them with a "privilege," elevating them beyond their ordinary significance. This act of arrangement and observation leads to a dissolution of the individual's visual presence into a "sensation of meaning," indicating the ephemeral, fluid nature of identity and existence.

The transformation of the table under different lights—from lacking pathos to becoming a conduit for emotional disturbance—highlights the poem's focus on perception's role in constructing reality. The violet light and the ice plant on the windowsill become symbols of desire and memory, linking the external environment with the internal landscape of the observer.

Berssenbrugge's reference to "emotional disturbances" as interruptions in both landscape and logic emphasizes the disjunctions and discontinuities that characterize human experience. The longing for "direct experience" and the reliance on memory as a trace of the self further complicate the relationship between the observer and the observed, between reality and representation.

The setting shifts from a hotel lobby to an elevator to a Cadillac, each space offering a different perspective on the horizon—both literal and metaphorical. These shifts in location and perspective underscore the poem's exploration of movement and stasis, of the boundaries between the internal and external worlds.

The closing image of the light becoming a "gold wing on the table" that opens to reveal "an environment inside that is plastic and infinite" encapsulates the poem's central themes. This image suggests the transformative potential of perception, the ability to see beyond the surface to the vast, complex realities that lie beneath. Yet, the notion that this style "has got the future wrong" hints at the limitations of human understanding and the inevitable discrepancies between our perceptions and the unfolding of time and events.

In "Texas," Berssenbrugge offers a nuanced meditation on the act of seeing and the fluid boundaries between self and other, between the real and the imagined. Through her evocative imagery and philosophical inquiry, she invites readers to reflect on the ways in which we construct our worlds and the elusive nature of truth and meaning.

POEM TEXT: https://www.conjunctions.com/print/article/mei-mei-berssenbrugge-c6

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