Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Wagoner’s “Wallace Stevens on His Way to Work” offers a delightful yet profound portrait of the poet through a seemingly mundane ritual—his walk to work. Infused with Stevensian imagery and a whimsical reverence for the poet’s internal world, the poem captures the interplay of the routine and the extraordinary, the weight of the practical and the buoyancy of the imaginative.

The poem begins with Stevens leaving early and walking "slowly," as if carrying a delicate intellectual load. This image immediately sets a tone of deliberate thoughtfulness, reminiscent of Stevens’ meticulous poetic voice. The simile of “balancing books on the way to school” highlights Stevens’ dual existence: the corporate professional and the contemplative artist. The suggestion of tardiness and “heavy / With numbers” nods to his career as an insurance executive while contrasting it with the boundless freedom of his poetic life.

Wagoner uses the mundane act of walking to Stevens’ office as an entry point into the poet’s unique perspective. His shoes, described as “unfashionably rounded,” suggest both practicality and a charming eccentricity, reflecting Stevens’ refusal to conform entirely to the corporate world he inhabited. The “slope of his corporation” humorously anthropomorphizes Stevens’ body, emphasizing the physical weight of the world he carries and his role within it.

The “fundamentally sound / Park bench” serves as a pivotal space where Stevens transitions from the corporate to the poetic. This bench, described as “the birthplace / Of paeans and ruminations,” symbolizes a space of creative potential—a microcosm of the larger Stevensian interplay between physical spaces and mental landscapes. The precision with which he measures the distance to the bench speaks to his careful attention to detail, both literal and metaphorical.

Once seated, Stevens engages in an almost ritualistic act of creativity. The postcard he produces from his “sinister jacket pocket” becomes a vessel for his poetic musings. The “never-before-uttered / Runes and obbligatos” he inscribes evoke the mystery and intricacy of his verse, as well as its inherent musicality. The reference to “pellucidly cryptic / Duets” reflects Stevens’ paradoxical clarity and opacity, qualities central to his poetic style.

Wagoner’s use of the “amoeba chaos chaos” as a source for these creative sparks invokes Stevens’ fascination with the primordial and the abstract. The juxtaposition of chaos and order mirrors the poet’s constant negotiation between the randomness of the world and the human desire for coherence. This image also resonates with Stevens’ broader metaphysical explorations, where the amorphous and the definite coalesce into a singular vision.

The act of rising from the bench becomes a metaphor for the effort required to transition from the poetic to the mundane. Wagoner likens it to the “heartfelt” struggle of “getting out of bed on Sunday,” an apt metaphor for Stevens’ balancing act between his private artistic pursuits and his public responsibilities. The “imaginary axis” between his feet suggests an invisible thread connecting the poet to both his grounded reality and his loftier aspirations.

In the poem’s conclusion, Stevens carries his “good news” along the path, ready to “readjust” the business of the earth. This echoes the role of the poet as both creator and mediator of meaning, a figure who reimagines the world through language and imagination. The phrase “good news” subtly aligns Stevens’ creative output with a kind of gospel, elevating his poetic practice to an almost spiritual mission.

Wagoner’s portrayal of Stevens is both intimate and expansive, capturing the poet’s essence as a man grounded in routine yet perpetually soaring in thought. The mundane act of walking to work becomes a canvas for a richly imaginative exploration of Stevens’ life and art, celebrating his ability to find profundity in the everyday. By blending humor, reverence, and poetic insight, Wagoner crafts a tribute that resonates deeply with Stevens’ own artistic ethos, affirming the transformative power of imagination even in the most ordinary moments.

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