Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Poor," Robert Creeley presents a stark, fragmented meditation on time, purpose, and the tension between movement and stagnation. Through a series of disjointed thoughts and minimal language, Creeley captures the speaker’s sense of aimlessness and vulnerability, blending an existential emptiness with a faint resolve to press forward. The poem’s broken structure and sparse language create a feeling of restlessness and frustration, reflecting the difficulty of finding meaning or direction when one feels “poor” in both purpose and motivation.

The opening line, “Nothing’s / today and / tomorrow only,” introduces a sense of temporal disorientation and emotional emptiness. By stating “Nothing’s / today,” Creeley implies that the present moment feels vacant or devoid of significance. This line reflects an experience of “today” as empty, with meaning deferred to “tomorrow only.” The phrase “tomorrow only” suggests that hope, purpose, or action is perpetually postponed, creating a cycle where fulfillment or clarity is always on the horizon but never realized. This sentiment conveys a sense of existential waiting, as though the speaker is suspended between two points in time, unable to engage fully with the present or reach the future.

“Slower” appears as a single-word line, a command or observation that disrupts the flow of the poem. This word emphasizes the speaker’s lethargy or struggle with inertia, as if even basic actions or thoughts have become sluggish and difficult to sustain. The choice to isolate “Slower” implies that the speaker’s pace—whether physical or mental—has been drastically reduced, amplifying the feeling of being stuck or hindered. This moment captures the sensation of wanting to move forward but feeling unable to do so with any urgency or ease, a state that intensifies the sense of aimlessness introduced in the opening lines.

“Placess” is another isolated word, notable for its unusual spelling. The repetition of the “s” in “Placess” suggests a stammer or hesitation, as though the speaker is unsure of where they are or where they’re going. This distorted spelling may also reflect a fractured state of mind, where even familiar concepts like “places” lose their coherence or become indistinct. By altering the word’s form, Creeley conveys a sense of dislocation or confusion, emphasizing that the speaker is struggling to define or recognize their surroundings, both literally and metaphorically.

The line “POOR / Purpose / porpuss” introduces a series of word plays that deepen the poem’s exploration of identity and intention. The capitalized “POOR” draws attention to the speaker’s perceived lack—whether financial, emotional, or existential. “Purpose” immediately follows, suggesting that the speaker’s poverty may be one of direction or motivation. The transformation of “purpose” into “porpuss” plays with language in a humorous but poignant way, as though the speaker’s sense of purpose has become muddled or trivialized. “Porpuss” could evoke the image of a porpoise, a creature associated with aimless swimming in open water, amplifying the sense of drifting without clear direction. This playful distortion reflects Creeley’s exploration of language’s limitations in capturing existential uncertainty, as if words themselves lose meaning in the face of profound disorientation.

“Sore hand” is a brief, visceral phrase that introduces physical discomfort into the poem’s landscape of emotional and existential struggle. The “sore hand” could symbolize the weariness or pain that accompanies prolonged inaction or frustration, as though even simple tasks or movements have become burdensome. This line serves as a reminder of the body’s presence amid the mind’s wandering, grounding the speaker’s abstract thoughts in a concrete, physical sensation. The inclusion of this bodily detail reinforces the poem’s theme of being worn down, where both the mind and body are caught in a state of fatigue.

“Got / to get going” suggests a faint glimmer of resolve, a recognition that action, however difficult, is necessary. This line implies a tension between the speaker’s sense of inertia and a desire to push forward, as though they are reluctantly acknowledging the need to escape the cycle of waiting and postponement established earlier in the poem. The colloquial tone of “Got / to get going” conveys a feeling of resignation rather than enthusiasm, as if the speaker is trying to summon motivation despite a lack of energy or clear purpose. This line reflects the tension between the need for movement and the difficulty of overcoming internal resistance.

The closing lines, “And I was / not asleep / and I was / not alone,” introduce a note of introspection and self-awareness, suggesting that the speaker’s experience is one of conscious, shared solitude. The repetition of “I was / not” emphasizes the speaker’s presence in both the physical and emotional sense. By stating they were “not asleep,” the speaker clarifies that their state is not one of ignorance or oblivion but of alert, perhaps restless awareness. The phrase “not alone” implies that while they may feel isolated or aimless, they recognize the presence of others, whether in a physical or metaphorical sense. This acknowledgment adds a subtle complexity to the poem’s portrayal of solitude, suggesting that the speaker’s struggle is one shared by others who may be experiencing similar feelings of purposelessness or disconnection.

Structurally, "Poor" is fragmented and spare, with each line standing alone as a distinct thought or sensation. The frequent line breaks and isolated words create a sense of disjointedness, mirroring the speaker’s internal struggle to find coherence or direction. The poem’s sparse language and minimal punctuation reflect the speaker’s weary, halting state of mind, as if they can only express their feelings in brief, disconnected phrases.

In "Poor," Robert Creeley captures the experience of existential fatigue, where the speaker is caught between the need to move forward and the inertia that holds them back. Through fragmented language and playful yet poignant wordplay, Creeley conveys a sense of aimlessness and confusion, as though the speaker is navigating a landscape where time, place, and purpose have all become indistinct. The poem’s exploration of language itself—particularly in the distorted “porpuss”—reflects the difficulty of articulating such states of mind, where even words lose their clarity and stability. Ultimately, "Poor" is a meditation on the tension between desire and lethargy, presence and absence, where the journey toward meaning and direction is marked by stops, starts, and the lingering sense of being “poor” in something essential yet indefinable.

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