Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s "Thinking (3)" is a reflective, somber meditation on memory, family, and the experience of witnessing a loved one’s death. Through fragmented recollections and understated imagery, Creeley captures the complexity of remembering the final moments of a loved one, conveying both the raw emotion and the fog of memory that shapes how we recall such intimate and profound experiences. The poem intertwines past and present, thought and memory, constructing a scene that feels both immediate and distanced, as if the speaker is suspended between the act of remembering and the difficulty of fully comprehending what he witnessed.

The poem opens with a reference to the speaker’s "Grandmother," immediately grounding the reflection in a familial relationship that carries emotional weight. The phrase "I’d thought / to have called all together" implies a sense of regret or missed intention, as if the speaker had wanted to gather family members before his grandmother’s passing. This desire to gather everyone suggests an acknowledgment of the importance of shared presence in the face of death, a last moment of unity before the inevitable separation. The words “night before dying” convey both the imminence of death and the uncertainty surrounding it, emphasizing the fleeting nature of time when a loved one is on the brink of passing.

The image of "the bed at the stairs’ top" provides a vivid detail, situating the grandmother in a specific, familiar place within the house. This location at the top of the stairs suggests both a position of authority—overlooking the household—and a sense of distance, as if she has already begun to move away from those below. This detail reinforces the sense of a threshold, a place between the living and the dead, where the grandmother lies, awaiting her final moments. The mention of "the stairs" also hints at the journey of moving upward or onward, an image that resonates with the concept of transition from life to death.

The lines "when I’d walked / with blackened sky / overhead the storm / and the lightning flashing" introduce a natural, almost apocalyptic backdrop to this scene. The stormy sky and lightning create a sense of tension and drama, as if nature itself is mirroring the emotional turmoil within the family. The storm’s intensity contrasts with the quiet intimacy of the grandmother’s final moments, imbuing the scene with an atmosphere of both urgency and inevitability. This imagery of storm and lightning could also symbolize the chaotic and uncontrollable forces that accompany death, the turbulence that often surrounds profound change and loss.

The poem then moves to a more specific recollection, with the speaker remembering "the Montagues / from the ice pond / and rotting icehouse." This shift introduces an almost surreal image, blending the memory of the grandmother’s death with details from the broader landscape of the speaker’s life. The Montagues, the ice pond, and the rotting icehouse evoke a sense of decay and transience, mirroring the grandmother’s physical decline. The "rotting icehouse" in particular suggests something once sturdy and useful that has now been left to deteriorate—a parallel to the human body in its final stages. The presence of "common pigeons" further emphasizes the theme of ordinariness and mortality, as if the scene is populated with everyday elements that ground the memory in the familiar and unremarkable.

"Wanting all to go forward as ever" reflects a desire for continuity, for life to persist in its familiar patterns despite the impending disruption of death. This line captures the tension between the desire for normalcy and the awareness that something irreversible is about to happen. The phrase "with grandmother / confidently ill I thought" suggests that the speaker perceived his grandmother’s illness as stable, perhaps even manageable. The term "confidently ill" implies a kind of resilience or acceptance, as if she approached her illness with a degree of control or dignity.

The next lines—"giving last orders to us all / my mother the elder, / thus to take care / of sister Bernice and younger brother"—depict the grandmother’s final instructions, a ritual of passing down responsibilities and care. This act of giving orders reinforces her role as the matriarch, even in her weakened state. By assigning roles and responsibilities, she asserts her influence and ensures that her family will be taken care of after her departure. This moment captures the human desire to leave a legacy, to continue shaping the lives of loved ones even after death.

The lines "did she say as I thought, / I’m tired now / and roll over—" introduce a layer of uncertainty, as the speaker questions the accuracy of his memory. This line reveals the blurred boundary between memory and imagination, suggesting that even in the act of remembering, the mind may fill in gaps or alter details. The grandmother’s words, "I’m tired now," resonate with a sense of surrender, a quiet acknowledgment that her time has come. Her turning away or "roll over" reflects a symbolic turning away from life, a gesture of letting go.

The poem takes on an almost philosophical tone in the line, "Was it book I’d read / said death’s so determined—" Here, the speaker seems to recall something he once read about the inevitability or finality of death, as if he is seeking external validation for the experience he is witnessing. This line suggests a universal recognition of death as an inescapable certainty, something that literature and philosophy have grappled with for ages. The speaker’s search for meaning in words he once read reveals a desire to make sense of death, to find some assurance in the face of loss.

The final lines—"whilst grandma crying / out to us / to come and help her / shook, coughed and died?"—are haunting in their simplicity and rawness. The grandmother’s cries for help capture the vulnerability and helplessness that often accompany death, as well as the emotional impact it has on those who bear witness. Her final "shook, coughed and died" is a stark, unembellished description that conveys the reality of death without romanticizing it. The question mark at the end suggests lingering doubt, as if the speaker is still unsure about the details of that moment or the truth of his own memory.

Structurally, "Thinking (3)" is composed of fragmented lines that reflect the disjointed nature of memory. The poem’s syntax and line breaks create a sense of fluidity, as if the speaker is piecing together scattered memories in an attempt to make sense of his grandmother’s passing. Creeley’s use of plain language and minimal punctuation allows the scene to unfold naturally, capturing the rawness of recollection without imposing order or clarity.

Through "Thinking (3)," Creeley captures the intimate, haunting experience of witnessing a loved one’s final moments and the difficulty of reconciling memory with reality. The poem reflects on the complexities of familial roles, the inevitability of death, and the ways in which memory can both preserve and distort significant events. In the end, "Thinking (3)" is a meditation on loss and the fragile, fragmented nature of memory, inviting readers to confront the ways we hold onto, question, and interpret our past experiences with those we have loved and lost.

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