Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Kenneth Patchen’s "How God Was Made" offers a provocative and surreal reimagining of the creation story, diverging from traditional religious narratives to explore the origins of divinity through a lens of mystery, beauty, and terror. Instead of portraying God as an omnipotent, pre-existing being who creates the world ex nihilo, Patchen presents a God who comes into being over seven days, shaped by cosmic forces and, ultimately, by the very universe He brings into existence. This inversion of the conventional creation myth serves as a meditation on the relationship between creation and destruction, wonder and dread, suggesting that the divine itself is not immune to the chaos and complexity of existence.

The poem is structured around the familiar framework of the seven days of creation, but each day unfolds in unexpected, often unsettling ways. On the first day, instead of light emerging from darkness, a "weed led her young to drink at Eternity," only to be "withered... with its look." This opening scene sets the tone for the entire poem, where life is fragile, vulnerable to forces beyond its control. The image of the "hanging eye" evokes a dispassionate, even hostile presence—perhaps the nascent form of God or some cosmic entity—that snuffs out life with a mere glance. The juxtaposition of "Eternity" with the mundane image of a weed and its young suggests a world where the infinite and the ordinary are deeply intertwined, yet the infinite carries a destructive weight.

On the second day, creation takes on a more wondrous tone. A "wondrous hand fashioned a bubble," and the stars sing as God’s "branching head" awakens. The image of a bubble evokes both beauty and fragility, emphasizing the delicate nature of existence even as the cosmos comes to life. The stars’ song suggests a kind of cosmic harmony, a moment of pure creation, but this harmony is fleeting. The "branching head" of God hints at a complex, perhaps even monstrous, form—creation here is not neat or orderly but sprawling and strange.

The third day marks the emergence of life and movement as "His heart began to beat," but this life is not purely celebratory. The heavens, rather than offering tranquility, "foamed along their gathering roads / Where the mad and the dead would walk." This imagery introduces chaos and suffering into the creation narrative. The foaming heavens suggest turbulence rather than serenity, and the roads are populated by the mad and the dead, indicating that from the very beginning, the universe is a place of both vitality and decay. This duality—the coexistence of life and death, beauty and madness—is a central theme in Patchen’s reimagining of creation.

On the fourth day, God’s form takes on more structure as "His ribs bent around the air." This image suggests a protective gesture, as if God is trying to contain or shield something within Himself. However, the next lines reveal a collapse rather than a stabilization: "the pillars of nothingness toppled down / To become roosts for the birds that foul dreams." Here, creation arises from destruction—nothingness itself becomes the foundation for something new, but what emerges is tainted, as indicated by the "birds that foul dreams." The act of creation is thus inseparable from the corruption of what is created, reinforcing the poem’s underlying sense of cosmic ambivalence.

On the fifth day, God’s body stirs upon the sun, and the "fiery kingdoms raised their flags / That would be lifting over us forever." This suggests the emergence of power and dominion, the establishment of cosmic hierarchies that will shape the destiny of humanity. The "fiery kingdoms" evoke both divine and earthly powers, hinting at the inevitable rise of empires and the perpetual cycle of conquest and control. The flags, symbols of human and divine authority, are described as enduring, implying that the structures of power created on this day will persist indefinitely, casting a long shadow over the human condition.

The sixth day marks a pivotal moment as God’s "mouth breathed the first word," and with it, all "things of wonder and pain and beauty" are prepared for humanity. The simultaneous creation of wonder, pain, and beauty underscores the poem’s central theme: the world is not a place of pure goodness or evil but a complex amalgamation of both. The "poor flesh of man" is introduced as the recipient of this complicated legacy, suggesting that humanity is both blessed and cursed by the gifts of creation. The act of speaking—the divine word—does not simply bring life but also ushers in suffering and awe, binding them together inextricably.

On the seventh day, the poem takes its most unsettling turn. Rather than resting, God reflects on what has been done: "His sweeping eye saw what had been done / And moved into the great, gentle face / Where not even God could see its terror." This conclusion is both profound and chilling. The "great, gentle face" suggests an outward appearance of calm and benevolence, but beneath this facade lies an unfathomable terror—one so deep that even God Himself cannot fully comprehend it. This final image challenges traditional notions of divine omniscience and omnipotence. If even God cannot see the full extent of the terror embedded in creation, then the universe is a place of profound and unresolved tension.

Patchen’s "How God Was Made" ultimately presents creation not as an orderly, benevolent act but as a chaotic, ambivalent process fraught with both beauty and horror. The God that emerges from this process is not the all-knowing, all-powerful figure of traditional theology but a being shaped by the very forces He sets in motion—vulnerable to the same terror, complexity, and contradictions that define human existence. By reimagining the creation story in this way, Patchen invites readers to confront the uncomfortable truths about the world and their place within it. Creation, in this vision, is not a finished product or a perfect plan but an ongoing, unstable process that reflects the fragile, tumultuous nature of existence itself.

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