Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Robert Creeley’s “Waiting for a Bus ‘En Frente de la Iglesia,’” the poet captures the essence of waiting and transition in a foreign, historical space. With characteristic conciseness, Creeley melds the sensory impressions of a specific location with historical resonances, imbuing a simple bus stop scene with layers of meaning that span from the personal to the historical. This poem juxtaposes elements of decay and nostalgia with movement and change, presenting the reader with a vivid, reflective moment suspended in time.

The poem opens with the phrase, “Here’s the church, here’s the tower,” a familiar line from a childhood rhyme that typically goes, “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors, and see all the people.” However, Creeley subverts this rhyme by noting, “Open the door—no people.” This twist highlights emptiness and desolation, as if the church, once a bustling center of community, is now devoid of life. The phrase “chopped off” reinforces this image of incompleteness, perhaps suggesting that the church, and by extension the town, has lost its vitality. The structure is there, but it no longer fulfills its purpose, much like the “town gate” that “sits at intersection across—just façade leading nowhere.” Here, Creeley uses architecture as a metaphor for time’s erosion, with historical symbols now reduced to empty shells.

Creeley then shifts to describe the movement around this static, historical backdrop: “Zipzap, the cars roar past.” The modern vehicles contrast sharply with the ancient structures, representing the forward momentum of time. The juxtaposition between the historical and the contemporary highlights a sense of displacement—where history stands in the midst of relentless progress, but perhaps not in harmony with it. The “three faded flags” atop the “Hotel Florida” contribute to this theme, as they evoke a past glory now dulled, symbolizing perhaps a Spain caught between its storied past and the reality of the present.

The description of an “old dog, old friend,” emphasizes a sense of age and deterioration. The dog’s “rachitic, stiff” legs and “reddish hair all fuzzed” are symbols of time’s toll on the living, paralleling the worn-down church and faded flags. This image invites a reflection on the nature of aging itself—an old friend, familiar yet struggling, is a poignant figure in Creeley’s landscape. The dog’s movement “toward us” suggests companionship and loyalty, even as time has ravaged its body. It is a touchstone of continuity amidst the changes swirling around.

As Creeley notes the “long grey bus” parked and waiting to depart, he draws attention to a space suspended between past and present, movement and stasis. The bus represents both literal and figurative transition, with a destination, “Gerona,” that holds historical significance. The mention of Charlemagne, who “came personally to take [Gerona] back from Moors” in the eighth century, transports the reader back to a time of conquest and conflict. This reference isn’t merely historical trivia; it infuses the landscape with layers of memory and power dynamics. Gerona becomes a symbol of both resistance and heritage, a place marked by historical figures but now reachable by an everyday bus ride. The contrast between the bus route and Charlemagne’s conquests hints at the sometimes banal nature of history’s continuity, where monumental events become part of a routine route.

Yet, despite the grandeur of Charlemagne’s history, Creeley grounds us in the immediacy of the physical world: “wind’s cold in this early spring sun,” and the bench where they sit “lost its bars on the back but for one.” The discomfort of the wind and the broken bench anchor the poem in a tactile present, reminding us that the experiences of waiting, moving, and feeling are universal and timeless. The broken bench symbolizes both imperfection and endurance; it serves its purpose despite its flaws, much like the faded structures around them.

Finally, the poem concludes with action, as the bus “starts up,” and “we’re on, and we’re gone.” This ending suggests a departure from the past and the static setting of the town square. The bus, a symbol of movement, propels the speaker away from the crumbling remnants of history and into an unknown future. This moment of departure encapsulates a recurring theme in Creeley’s work—the tension between rootedness and transience. Even as the speaker moves on, the town, the church, the dog, and the history of Gerona remain, fixed in their place, serving as markers of time and memory.

In “Waiting for a Bus ‘En Frente de la Iglesia,’” Creeley uses the simplicity of waiting at a bus stop to explore the complex interplay between history and present experience. The poem reflects on how we exist within and around history, touching and being touched by its remnants while remaining bound to our immediate, often mundane realities. By blending personal observations with historical references, Creeley creates a meditation on the passage of time and the ways in which the past continues to inform and shape our journey, even as we “start up” and move forward. The bus may take the speaker away, but the echoes of history remain, shaping both the landscape and the internal reflections of those who pause to witness it.

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