Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s poem "Surgeons" offers a striking juxtaposition between the delicate precision of a surgeon's work and the ordinary imagery of rural life. Creeley begins by evoking the surgeon’s hands, describing their steady and meticulous movement with a calm, almost meditative quality. These hands, he suggests, embody a kind of restraint and focus that is both admirable and intimidating. The hands move "so slowly," and their attention remains unwavering. Creeley’s imagery here suggests that the surgeon’s role is almost sacred, as if the deliberate movements and the intense concentration are a form of ritual.

However, the poem’s tone shifts with the line "Then one imagines a change," inviting readers to consider a stark contrast. Suddenly, the focus shifts from the operating room to the open road, with a truck veering off the highway and onto a country road. This change in setting, from the controlled, clinical space of surgery to the unpredictable and rustic landscape, introduces a sense of freedom and randomness that contrasts sharply with the rigidity of the surgeon's work. It’s as if Creeley is suggesting that beneath the surgeon’s meticulous professionalism, there lies a latent desire to break free from precision and indulge in the natural, unstructured rhythms of life.

The poem continues with the line "Men pick apples for money in the fall," grounding the imagery in the agricultural world and connecting the surgeon to the more primal, seasonal labor of fruit-picking. This line suggests that, fundamentally, all professions are tied to survival and the cycles of nature. The comparison between apple-picking and surgery is unexpected, yet it subtly links the two activities as forms of labor that, despite their differences, both require skill and yield something essential to life—whether it be food or health.

The final line, "Surgeons are babies that grow on trees," closes the poem with a surreal and thought-provoking metaphor. By likening surgeons to “babies that grow on trees,” Creeley introduces an image of surgeons as products of nature, born of organic processes rather than mechanical or academic training. This line seems to imply that even the most highly skilled and scientifically trained individuals are ultimately natural beings, subject to the same origins and life cycles as anyone else. The image of "babies that grow on trees" is both whimsical and profound, hinting at the inherent innocence and simplicity underlying human endeavors, no matter how sophisticated they may seem.

Overall, "Surgeons" presents a layered commentary on the intersection between human precision and natural existence. By contrasting the meticulousness of a surgeon’s work with the ordinary rhythms of nature and rural life, Creeley suggests that, beneath all our societal roles and specialized skills, we remain deeply connected to the natural world. In this light, the surgeon’s expertise is just one expression of the same life force that drives a truck off the highway or compels a person to pick apples in the fall. This connection between the cultivated and the natural serves as a reminder of the fundamental simplicity that underlies even the most complex aspects of human life.

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