Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Meeting Mescalito at Oak Hill Cemetery" by Lorna Dee Cervantes is a captivating and introspective poem that explores themes of adolescence, escape, and spiritual awakening amidst the backdrop of a personal and challenging domestic environment. Through vivid imagery and a sense of deep connection with the natural world, Cervantes captures a moment of transcendence and discovery for the speaker, who finds solace and meaning in an encounter with the sacred in an unlikely setting.

The poem opens with the speaker, "Sixteen years old and crooked / with drug," in a state of altered consciousness that allows for a distortion of time and perception. This state is not presented with judgment but as a doorway to blissful experiences and insights, set in the solitude of Oak Hill Cemetery. The description of the cemetery stones as "soft and harmless" and the meadows rippling with "overgrown daisies" transforms the typically somber setting into one of beauty and peace, suggesting a blurring of boundaries between the living and the dead, the natural and the supernatural.

The act of picking apricots and interacting with the peacocks introduces a vibrant life force into the scene, with the "great peacocks" serving as symbols of vanity and resurrection. The speaker's encounter with a lizard, whom she identifies with Mescalito—a deity or spirit associated with the peyote cactus and visions in Native American and Mesoamerican cultures—marks a moment of divine connection. This encounter signifies a recognition of the sacred in the mundane and a personal epiphany that contrasts sharply with the realities of her home life.

Returning home, the speaker's actions of covering her mother with a quilt and locking her door against her stepfather highlight the stark difference between her spiritual experience and her family's troubled dynamics. The feathers collected from the peacocks, with their "green eye in a heaven of blue," symbolize a newfound understanding and perhaps a hope or promise of transformation and escape from her circumstances.

The poem concludes with the speaker tasting "the last of the sweet fruit," an act that connects her to the cycles of life and death, nourishment and decay. This final moment reflects a contemplation of mortality and the fleeting nature of life, yet without fear or despair. Instead, there is an acceptance, a savoring of the moment, and a sense of peace derived from her experiences and the wisdom gained.

"Meeting Mescalito at Oak Hill Cemetery" weaves together the personal and the universal, the profane and the sacred, in a narrative that speaks to the search for meaning and connection in a complex and often painful world. Cervantes' skillful use of imagery, symbolism, and narrative invites readers to consider the ways in which moments of clarity and transcendence can emerge from the most unexpected places, offering insights and solace amid the trials of life.

POEM TEXT: https://poets.org/poem/meeting-mescalito-oak-hill-cemetery

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