Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

James J. McAuley's "Spokane Perspective; For Carolyn Kizer" presents a vivid portrayal of urban decay juxtaposed with natural persistence. The poem's imagery draws attention to the dilapidated state of Spokane, with its derelict buildings and vacant streets, highlighting the passage of time and the inevitable decline that accompanies it.

For blocks, the derelicts drop back behind one another, / Glass gone from the windows, to a billboard by the freeway. / Beyond that, the pines rise, a poised green tsunami. The initial lines establish a stark contrast between the human-made structures and the enduring presence of nature. The "derelicts" and shattered windows symbolize neglect and abandonment, while the pines, described as a "poised green tsunami," suggest an unstoppable natural force ready to reclaim the land.

The scene requires no motion but the pigeons fidget anyway / On the parapet of a warehouse dolled up as a Renaissance villa / Powdered by wheatfield dust. The pigeons, symbols of continuity and life amidst decay, fidget restlessly on a building that once attempted to capture grandeur but now stands as a relic covered in dust. This warehouse, decorated in an eclectic mix of historical styles, represents the developers' attempts to imbue the area with a sense of timelessness and elegance, now overshadowed by disuse and neglect.

Developers ransacked history for that décor—Gothic France, / The Moors, Tudor England—to furnish / Their Inland Empire with an aspect that would outlast the sceptics. These lines critique the developers' efforts to create a façade of enduring significance by borrowing from various historical architectures, a futile attempt to outlast the skeptics. The choice of "ransacked" implies a careless and superficial appropriation of history.

The lights change one after the other / The length of the half-empty street: / Red to green, red to green, red to green / Retreats like a disappointed prospector from Saturn. The monotonous cycle of the traffic lights in a nearly deserted street evokes a sense of futility and stagnation. The comparison to a "disappointed prospector from Saturn" emphasizes the alien and barren nature of the scene, suggesting that even the promise of prosperity has fled.

Not a building in view where anyone / Takes calls in a cluttered office / Or scolds a subordinate, or pauses to contemplate the weight of the day, / no hurried footsteps echoing in the halls, / no voices raised in debate or laughter, / just the silence of neglect and the slow / march of entropy reclaiming its dominion. These lines paint a picture of complete desolation, where the usual signs of life and activity have vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence. The mention of entropy underscores the natural process of decay and the inevitable return to a state of disorder.

In this tableau of stagnation, the pines / remain steadfast, a verdant wave poised / to sweep over the remnants of ambition. / Their roots dig deep, anchoring them / in a soil rich with forgotten dreams, / while their branches reach skyward, / a silent testimony to resilience. The pines, rooted deeply in soil enriched by "forgotten dreams," symbolize resilience and the enduring power of nature amidst human failure. Their unwavering presence contrasts sharply with the crumbling man-made environment.

The Renaissance warehouse stands / as a testament to human folly, / a monument to the hubris of those / who believed they could freeze time / and fashion permanence from the ephemeral. The warehouse, adorned in Renaissance style, serves as a metaphor for human arrogance in attempting to create something permanent from the transient. The "hubris" of those who believed in their ability to defy time is laid bare.

The dust of the wheatfields settles, / a fine silt that coats every façade, / blurring the lines between past and present. The pervasive dust from the wheatfields represents the merging of past and present, obscuring the distinctions and highlighting the impermanence of all things. This fine silt covers everything, a physical manifestation of neglect and decay.

Traffic lights flicker in their endless cycle, / a mechanical heartbeat in a city that / no longer pulses with life. Red to green, / green to red, a dance of color in an empty / ballet, each change a reminder of / progress unrealized, of momentum stalled. The repetitive cycle of the traffic lights, described as a "mechanical heartbeat," underscores the lifelessness of the city. The "empty ballet" of changing lights serves as a constant reminder of unfulfilled potential and halted progress.

The pigeons, oblivious to the decay, / flutter and coo, their small lives / unaffected by the grandiose failures / of human endeavor. They nest in / crumbling cornices, finding shelter / amidst the ruins, their presence / a small spark of continuity. The pigeons' indifference to the surrounding decay highlights their resilience and adaptability. Their ability to find shelter and continue their lives amidst the ruins symbolizes a small but significant continuity of life.

In this expanse of dereliction, not a single / figure hurries to a meeting, no eyes / peer over ledgers, no fingers tap / out messages of import. The once / bustling offices stand deserted, / their windows opaque with grime, / their desks gathering dust, their phones / silent as tombstones. The absence of human activity in the once-bustling offices emphasizes the desolation and abandonment of the area. The grime-covered windows, dusty desks, and silent phones evoke a sense of a bygone era now relegated to memory.

The city stretches out, a vast canvas / of what might have been, its future / as uncertain as the shifting sands / of time. Yet, in this stillness, / there is a kind of peace, a recognition / of the cyclical nature of existence, / the rise and fall of human aspiration. The poem concludes with a reflection on the cyclical nature of existence. The city, now a "vast canvas of what might have been," symbolizes the impermanence and uncertainty of human endeavors. Yet, in the stillness, there is a sense of peace and acceptance of the natural cycles of rise and fall.

Carolyn, in this quiet desolation, / there is beauty too, a stark reminder / of the impermanence that shapes us. / We, like this city, are but fleeting / shadows on the landscape of history, / our words and deeds settling like dust, / waiting to be stirred by the winds / of time, to be remembered or forgotten / in the endless dance of creation and decay. Addressing Carolyn Kizer, the poem finds a poignant beauty in the desolation. It serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of human life and achievements. Our words and deeds, like the dust settling on the city's remnants, await the winds of time to either be remembered or forgotten in the eternal cycle of creation and decay.

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