Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Signs," Robert Creeley crafts a complex meditation on aging, memory, and the shifting nature of truth and perception. Divided into eight sections, the poem employs fragmented syntax, shifting perspectives, and recurrent symbols to explore how aging alters one’s relationship to time, language, and self. The text’s disjointed structure and repetitions suggest a mind wrestling with the layers of past experiences and inherited wisdom, attempting to reconcile them with the immediate realities of old age. Creeley’s language is rich with ambiguities, often collapsing literal and figurative meanings, creating an intricate tapestry that resists linear interpretation.

The first section opens with an aphorism: “The old ones say, ‘The peach keeps its fuzz until it dies.’” This line introduces the idea of holding onto identity or essence, symbolized by the peach’s fuzz, even as life progresses toward its end. The peach’s fuzz represents the texture of experience or innocence that lingers. However, the tone becomes reflective and somewhat ironic as the speaker describes the passage of time as a “dank, sluggish rush,” a river that moves slowly but inevitably, carrying him to the “nether bank.” The imagery of standing bewildered “in my pajamas” suggests vulnerability and disorientation as the speaker confronts the reality of aging. His exclamation, “The stone is an apple before it’s got hard!” introduces a note of resistance to the notion of inevitability, suggesting a yearning for the vitality that once characterized youth.

In the second section, Creeley reiterates the opening with slight variations, playing with phrases as if testing the limits of their meanings. The phrase “The speech keeps its fizz until it dries” mirrors the initial aphorism about the peach, now applied to speech and, by extension, to language or self-expression. Language, like the peach, seems lively and vivid until it loses its vitality, symbolizing the decline in one’s capacity to communicate or retain clarity as age advances. The speaker’s fragmented outcry—“apple stone hard’s got! / Hands wrought, God’s bought— / Bodies!”—reflects a loss of coherence, as though the words themselves are slipping away, mirroring the disintegration of memory or understanding.

In the third section, Creeley distorts language further, breaking words into disjointed syllables. The line “The. Bod. Ies. Han. Ds. God. S. Bough. T.” emphasizes fragmentation, as though the speaker’s grasp on language is disintegrating. This disintegration of syntax and meaning could symbolize the diminishing control over memory and the cognitive challenges that accompany aging. The repeated phrase “it was no friend of mine” implies an estrangement from memory or time itself, as though the speaker is increasingly disconnected from a coherent sense of self or continuity.

By the fourth section, the speaker admits, “I cannot tell the truth anymore,” which captures the poem’s overarching sense of disorientation. This line suggests that the passage of time erodes one’s certainty about what is true, creating a space where memories, perceptions, and interpretations blur. This confession is both a personal and universal statement, acknowledging the inherent limitations of memory and the subjective nature of experience. The mention of “birds make the lovely music just outside” serves as a counterpoint, a reminder of beauty and simplicity that remains accessible despite the speaker’s inner chaos. However, the setting—“chambres des dispossessed”—underscores a sense of dislocation and loss, as though the speaker inhabits a world that feels increasingly foreign.

The fifth section introduces a touch of humor with the line, “He ate the Hull thing,” a playful twist that layers absurdity over the introspective tone. The mention of “clean sheets for dirty bodies” contrasts purity with imperfection, reflecting the complexities of self-perception as one ages. Creeley’s language here is playful yet tinged with bitterness, capturing the contradictions of physical decay and the desire to maintain dignity. The speaker’s rhetorical question about rabbits—“What ever happened to rabbits? Did we finally eat them all?”—adds an element of nostalgia, as if questioning the loss of innocence or simplicity over the years.

In the sixth section, Creeley explores the theme of instability and decay with phrases like “Watery disposition” and “Sinking ground.” These images suggest a loss of solid footing, both literally and metaphorically, symbolizing the speaker’s sense of groundlessness as he ages. The passage “Looks up from within the well’s depth” evokes a feeling of entrapment, as if the speaker is confined within his own aging mind, looking up toward a world that feels distant. The imagery of “walks thinking” and “thinner than one was” poignantly reflects the physical and mental toll of aging, the sense of one’s body and mind diminishing over time.

The seventh section addresses love and intimacy, introducing a new dimension to the speaker’s reflections on life. The line “You have never had chance to speak of how particularly love mattered in your life” conveys regret, hinting at a lifetime of unexpressed feelings or missed connections. The references to physical intimacy—“long, soft, hard”—bring a personal, vulnerable element to the poem, contrasting with the intellectual musings of earlier sections. This passage reflects the complexity of memory, where moments of love and desire linger but feel awkward or difficult to express fully. The line “Born very young into a world already very old” encapsulates the speaker’s sense of alienation, as though he has always felt out of place in a world that was already steeped in its own history and traditions.

The final section brings the poem full circle, as a friend’s words, “We are the old ones now!” resonate with a sense of realization. The speaker reflects on the passage of time, acknowledging that he has indeed become part of the older generation he once looked up to. The repetition of “time’s like a rover” invokes a sense of movement and restlessness, as if time continues to shift and evade capture. The speaker’s exasperation with “apples speaking” and “Peaches. Faded speeches.” reveals a fatigue with repetitive symbols and aphorisms, suggesting a weariness with the clichés of aging. The poem ends with an image of “Fuzz turned to screaming sirens and old dead men,” capturing the transformation of once-innocent symbols into reminders of mortality and the chaos of aging.

"Signs" by Robert Creeley is a meditation on the complexities and contradictions of aging, memory, and self-understanding. The fragmented language and recurrent imagery of peaches, apples, rivers, and banks weave a tapestry of shifting perspectives, capturing the disorientation and introspection that come with the passage of time. Through its experimental structure and dense language, the poem challenges readers to confront the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of decline, while also finding beauty and humor in the absurdities of human experience. Ultimately, "Signs" is a poetic reflection on what it means to grow old, to grapple with fading memories and fractured selfhood, and to make peace with a world that seems both familiar and incomprehensibly strange.

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