Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Maxine Kumin’s "Calling" is an introspective and layered meditation on creativity, discipline, and the interconnectedness of life’s tasks, framed through the lens of Georgia O’Keeffe’s words and ethos. The poem draws a parallel between artistic creation and the rituals of everyday life, highlighting the tension between individuality and universality, and the necessity of persistence in both art and existence.

The poem opens with Kumin quoting O’Keeffe’s statement, “I have no theories to offer,” which immediately establishes the painter as a grounding figure in the speaker’s exploration of purpose. O’Keeffe’s refusal to theorize reflects an artistic pragmatism, focusing not on abstract philosophies but on the act of creation itself. Kumin contrasts this with O’Keeffe’s self-referential detachment, employing the “disembodied third person singular.” This linguistic distance—“One works, I suppose”—signals a tension between the personal and the universal, a thread Kumin will unravel throughout the poem.

Kumin?s invocation of O’Keeffe is both reverent and subtly critical. She admires the painter?s ability to frame work as the “most interesting thing one knows to do,” yet playfully juxtaposes it with a metaphor from baseball, “sashaying between first base and shortstop.” This image introduces a sense of movement and improvisation, suggesting that even in structured endeavors, there is room for spontaneity. The metaphor also connects the act of working with play, emphasizing the fluidity between responsibility and passion.

The poem shifts its focus to the mundane tasks of daily life: planting a garden, taking the dog to the vet, shopping. These activities are rendered as essential components of the creative process, part of the thread that runs through existence. Kumin uses these examples to ground the reader in the tangible, showing how the ordinary sustains and intersects with artistic creation. The line “You certainly have to do the shopping” injects humor and relatability, demystifying the notion of the artist as solely consumed by lofty ideas.

Syntax becomes a central motif in the poem, likened to the intimacy of sex. Kumin writes, “One doesn’t lightly leap from person to person,” emphasizing the care and deliberation required in language, as in relationships. This comparison underscores the connection between form and content, reminding readers that how something is expressed matters as much as what is expressed. The interplay between syntax and identity mirrors the tension between O’Keeffe’s universal “one” and Kumin’s personal voice.

The turning point of the poem arrives with Kumin’s direct address to the “awkward invisible third person.” This invocation calls for an end to abstraction, urging the universal to “come out, stand up, be heard.” In doing so, Kumin asserts the importance of owning one’s voice and individuality within the broader context of human experience. This moment of clarity resonates with her broader theme: that art, like life, requires an active and personal engagement.

Kumin concludes by drawing an explicit parallel between poetry and farming, two endeavors she associates with constancy and a deep connection to the natural world. “Poetry is like farming. It’s a calling,” she declares, rooting the act of creation in the rhythms and demands of the earth. This comparison highlights the labor-intensive nature of both pursuits, as well as their reliance on patience, care, and long-term vision. The “deep woods drumming of the grouse” evokes the grounding presence of nature, aligning artistic practice with the cyclical, persistent forces of life.

The final lines return to O’Keeffe, affirming her as a guiding presence who speaks not only to the speaker but to a broader audience. By addressing “one,” “me,” and “you,” Kumin underscores the universality of the artistic impulse while maintaining its deeply personal resonance. This layered address ties together the poem’s exploration of individuality, universality, and the connective thread that runs through all aspects of life.

In "Calling," Kumin masterfully intertwines humor, reflection, and homage to explore the nature of artistic dedication. The poem celebrates the intersections of art and life, revealing how the mundane sustains the extraordinary and how constancy in one’s calling, whether poetry, painting, or farming, is both a discipline and a joy. Through her dialogue with O’Keeffe, Kumin affirms the enduring relevance of art as a means of making sense of the world and one’s place within it.

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