Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Carol Frost’s poem "Burdock" intricately weaves together themes of resilience, renewal, and the interconnectedness of nature. By embodying the voice of the burdock plant, Frost explores the cycle of life, the persistence of nature, and the fulfillment found even in decay and death.

The poem opens with a vivid depiction of spring: "In the April sun that doesn't yet smell, brown and red birds declaring hunger." This setting of early spring, where the sun has not yet fully warmed the earth, introduces a period of awakening and renewal. The birds’ hunger signifies the stirring of life and the urgent need for sustenance after winter’s dormancy.

The speaker, embodying the burdock, emerges from an "inner world—a hell of beetles and voles—appointed to multiply." This description emphasizes the harsh and hidden world beneath the soil, teeming with life and struggle. The burdock's purpose, "appointed to multiply," suggests an inherent drive towards growth and reproduction, fundamental to all living things.

The burdock's resilience is highlighted through its self-description: "If tender, I'm streamy with orange dye, used to the gardener's scritching hoe, rock-rooted." Despite the gardener's attempts to remove it, the burdock remains firmly anchored, suggesting an enduring strength. This toughness is reinforced by the question, "how can I be hurt, when I resurrect?" The burdock’s ability to return, to resurrect, underlines its tenacity and its cyclical nature of life and death.

As the poem continues, the burdock describes its transformation: "my leaf liquors concentrating into bitter-meated flowers and stiffening into stalks." This process of growth and maturation, from tender leaves to stiffened stalks, encapsulates the plant's life cycle. The reference to "bitter-meated flowers" suggests that beauty and nourishment can arise from bitterness and hardship.

The burdock's reproductive strategy is depicted in the lines: "When my eggs burr the coats of animals, who can neither mate with me nor eat me, they take the future into the cold fields." The burrs clinging to animals ensure the spread of its seeds, symbolizing the transfer of life and the plant’s role in the larger ecosystem. This mechanism ensures that the burdock's legacy continues, carried by creatures that interact with it.

In a moment of reflection, the burdock addresses the reader: "I'm here in this late morning, to tell you there is satisfaction, even when I die; there are grounds and consequences." The satisfaction mentioned suggests a fulfillment found in the natural cycle, in the contribution to future growth and the continuation of life. The acknowledgment of "grounds and consequences" highlights the interconnectedness of actions and their impacts within the ecosystem.

The poem closes with a powerful assertion of the burdock's nature: "I am compact of laws, emerging continually from the inner world." This line underscores the idea that the burdock, like all living things, is governed by natural laws—resilience, regeneration, and the perpetual cycle of life and death.

"Burdock" by Carol Frost is a profound meditation on the resilience of nature and the intricate cycles that sustain life. Through the voice of the burdock, Frost explores themes of survival, renewal, and the fulfillment found in one's natural role. The poem’s rich imagery and reflective tone invite readers to consider the strength and beauty inherent in nature's continuous process of regeneration.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Love_and_Scorn/asOTz7mTOdcC?q=&gbpv=1#f=false

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