Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Chance" by Christopher Howell is a complex, unsettling poem that examines the unpredictability of life and the consequences of seemingly random events. Through a mix of violent, surreal, and fragmented imagery, Howell invites readers to confront the chaos inherent in existence, touching on themes of violence, fate, and the fragility of life. The poem juxtaposes pastoral and warlike elements to underscore the duality of beauty and brutality, evoking a sense of disquiet that lingers beyond the final line.

The poem opens with a jarring scene: “I shouted warning, cursed as the square teeth broke that life and let the feathers spin a slow rain through the rest of day and into the dark.” This immediate image of a bird being caught and killed sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The violence is both abrupt and unsettling, suggesting the suddenness with which life can change or end. The “feathers spin a slow rain” creates a visual of suspended destruction, evoking the delicate yet permanent mark left by a fatal moment.

Howell continues with lines that mix pastoral and violent imagery: “It only meant to make a low pass / Out of control, bullets slice through the crowd.” This shift from a simple bird in flight to the chaos of gunfire connects the accidental and the deadly, drawing a line between natural and man-made violence. The reference to “bullets slice through the crowd” hints at broader violence, perhaps war or mass conflict, creating a sense of tension and unpredictability.

The line, “The arrow falls precisely inaccurate / on the wrong deer (another fawn claws its severed spine into the sumac brake),” embodies the cruel irony of fate. The idea of an arrow being “precisely inaccurate” suggests that even deliberate actions can go awry, resulting in unintended consequences. The image of the fawn struggling evokes a visceral reaction, underscoring the poem’s exploration of suffering caused by random or mistaken acts. The scene shifts again, bringing readers “by the barn,” where the pastoral meets the brutal, hinting at the coexistence of the ordinary and the tragic.

The sudden motion of the mare, who “lifted her head above the slat fence and into the piercing chord of that old suitor of a chance misstep, old red claw, weasel,” blends the mundane with the unexpected. The reference to “old red claw, weasel” evokes a sense of nature’s predatory instinct, linking the horse’s actions to the primal and uncontrollable elements of life. This image portrays a disruption in the ordinary—a moment where the familiar turns dangerous.

Howell moves to a broader commentary on violence with references to military orders and conflict: “Orders come. ‘Exercise maximum force / ratio in sector ‘B’, unfriendly’ and are misunderstood / by Lt. Calley, by a prehensile nightmare of triggers and pins and flight.” This passage draws an explicit connection to the My Lai Massacre, where Lieutenant William Calley’s actions during the Vietnam War led to civilian deaths. The imagery of “triggers and pins and flight” captures the mechanical nature of violence, contrasting sharply with the natural world depicted earlier. The line speaks to the misunderstandings and consequences that arise from rigid systems and orders, reflecting on the intersection of human error and brutality.

The poem continues with a haunting line: “Smoke hangs 20 years above rice paddies abandoned by the birds. Terrified cornfields shrink.” The enduring image of smoke signifies the lingering effects of violence, while the “rice paddies abandoned by the birds” symbolizes loss and desolation. The shrinking cornfields amplify this feeling of withdrawal and fear, painting a world that recoils from trauma. The reference to “the next ice age uncoils its colder / and colder dream” suggests a future marked by detachment and numbness—a world becoming increasingly cold, both literally and figuratively, as it moves away from warmth and life.

The final section shifts back to the initial image, emphasizing the randomness of fate: “Yes, this is about a bird eaten by the brown mare. Sunlight flutes on the muddied feathers. Crows pick the small head clean.” Here, Howell returns to the bird’s death, underlining the central theme of chance. The sun’s light on the “muddied feathers” provides a stark contrast, highlighting the small, indifferent beauty in a scene of death. The crows picking the remains adds a layer of inevitability and finality, as nature continues its cycle, indifferent to the violence or suffering that has occurred.

"Chance" is ultimately an exploration of unpredictability, the collision of the pastoral and the violent, and the persistence of life amid chaos. Through jarring, disjointed imagery and a non-linear narrative, Howell conveys that life’s moments—whether natural or human-made—are governed by randomness and the potential for sudden, irreversible change. The poem challenges readers to confront the unsettling reality that chance can bring beauty or destruction without warning, leaving only the remnants to be observed, picked apart, and interpreted.

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