Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Poet is Served Her Papers" by Lorna Dee Cervantes is a vivid and evocative exploration of the complexities of expression, the burdens of creativity, and the existential challenges faced by the poet. Through a blend of surreal imagery, personal reflection, and a sense of impending loss or consequence, Cervantes crafts a narrative that probes the depths of artistic endeavor and the personal costs associated with the pursuit of truth and beauty in language.

The poem opens with a call to explore "fever dreams" and the "bad checks we scrawl with our mouths," immediately establishing a theme of reckoning with the consequences of one's words and actions. The metaphor of writing bad checks with our mouths suggests the risks involved in overpromising or misrepresenting reality through speech, highlighting the tension between aspiration and reality, between the desire for truth and the temptation to "tell lies to the world and believe it."

Cervantes's use of language is both a plea for authenticity and an acknowledgment of the performative aspects of communication—"Speak easy, speak spoken to, speak lips opening on a bed of nails." This imagery captures the pain and vulnerability inherent in genuine expression, suggesting that to speak truthfully is to expose oneself to harm.

The poem delves deeper into the poet's psyche with references to the "mint of my mind gaping far out of style" and the "milling of angels on the head of a flea," blending the mundane with the metaphysical in a reflection on the poet's sense of disconnection and obscurity. The mention of "broke blood" and a "lone mare" further personalizes the narrative, portraying the poet as isolated and financially unstable, yet still committed to the act of creation despite the odds.

As the poem progresses, the imagery of a "cul-de-sac of our heart's slow division" and the request to "tell me again about true / love's bouquet" introduces themes of love, loss, and the longing for connection. The juxtaposition of "hummingbird / hearts taped to my page" with the bureaucratic act of being "signed over with XXXs and passion" captures the tension between the transcendent possibilities of love and poetry and the legalistic, transactional nature of relationships and societal expectations.

The poem's conclusion—"Seal on the lick of a phone, my life. And pay. / And pay. / And pay."—evokes a sense of resignation and the inevitability of consequences, both financial and emotional. The repetition of "And pay" emphasizes the continuous expenditure of energy, passion, and resources that the poet must endure, underscoring the sacrifices made in the pursuit of artistic truth and emotional authenticity.

"Poet is Served Her Papers" is a compelling meditation on the challenges of living a life dedicated to art and truth. Through her masterful use of imagery and metaphor, Lorna Dee Cervantes invites readers to reflect on the costs of creativity, the pursuit of love, and the endless quest for meaning in a world that often demands conformity and payment in exchange for existence.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_the_Cables_of_Genocide/BKI4bD3LD8sC?q=lorna+dee+cervantes+:%22SLENDER,+YOU+ARE,+SECRET+AS+RAIL%22&gbpv=1&bsq=POET%20IS%20SERVED#f=false

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