Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Tom Wayman’s "Cursing Poem: This Poem Wants Gordon Shrum to Die" is a blistering indictment of systemic injustice, couched in the raw, unfiltered anger of the working class. The poem employs the directness of a curse—a literary form historically used to confront power and voice suffering—against Gordon Shrum, a corporate figure who symbolizes the exploitation and dehumanization perpetuated by bureaucratic and capitalist systems. Through vivid imagery and an unrelenting tone, Wayman channels the collective frustration and despair of laborers, creating a poem that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

The poem begins with an unambiguous declaration: “This poem wants to hurt another person. This poem wants another person to die.” This stark opening signals that the poem will not shy away from the brutality of its subject matter. The repetition of “This poem wants” creates a rhythmic incantation, lending the text the tone of a curse or spell. By centering the poem’s desire for harm, Wayman confronts readers with the depth of anger and pain borne out of systemic oppression. The invocation of physical suffering—sharp, visceral descriptions of a body in torment—emphasizes the human cost of corporate indifference. The target, Gordon Shrum, is not merely a man but a stand-in for the institutions and ideologies that profit from the suffering of others.

Wayman builds his case for the curse through a series of specific grievances, each rooted in the tangible hardships faced by workers. The first charge is the company’s decision to turn off the heat and electricity in a home, leaving the occupant to endure freezing temperatures. The vivid description of a laborer’s day—"fingers numb at the hammer," "back twisted trying to hoist the load"—underscores the indignity of returning from exhausting physical work to a home that offers no relief. This stark juxtaposition of labor and deprivation highlights the cruelty of a system that exploits workers’ bodies while denying them basic necessities.

The poem’s second grievance addresses the financial burden imposed by the company’s transportation system: “Fifty cents a day taken out of the dollars squeezed from the body’s labour.” This line encapsulates the relentless extraction of value from workers, not only through their labor but also through the mechanisms that enable it. The bus ride, a necessity for commuting, becomes another form of exploitation, compounding the indignities of the workday. The repetition of “bread and cold milk” as the worker’s sustenance further illustrates the grinding poverty that characterizes this existence.

The poem takes a deeply personal turn with its third grievance: Shrum’s physical assault on Mark Warrior, an incident dismissed by the legal system. This moment ties the poem’s broader critique of systemic injustice to a direct act of violence, illustrating how power dynamics extend beyond economics into physical and social realms. By naming Shrum and linking him to larger structures of oppression—"his bureaucrats and service division / his credit office and transportation system"—Wayman portrays him as both a literal and symbolic antagonist. This act of naming transforms the poem from a general lament into a pointed, defiant act of accountability.

Wayman’s curse escalates in intensity as it transitions from immediate grievances to broader condemnations of systemic inequity. The wish for Shrum and his ilk to experience cold, illness, and aching joints mirrors the physical toll endured by workers, while the invocation of unemployment drives home the precariousness of their lives. The metaphor of “scraping the calendar over a pan for a meal” captures the desperation of subsistence living, turning time itself into an empty resource. These lines shift the focus from individual suffering to the collective despair imposed by economic structures, making the curse not only personal but also societal.

The poem’s closing lines are particularly striking in their blend of rage and grim irony. The image of a future where Shrum can never again enjoy life’s simple pleasures—“steak and wine and hot corn”—serves as a poignant reminder of what many workers are denied daily. The invocation of divine mercy in the final line—“May the Lord God Jesus have mercy on their souls”—adds a layer of bitter irony, as the speaker both condemns and relinquishes judgment to a higher power. This duality captures the complexity of anger fueled by systemic injustice: it is deeply personal yet directed at forces too vast to be fully comprehended or defeated.

Structurally, the poem mirrors its thematic intensity. The free verse form allows Wayman to weave seamlessly between detailed grievances and broader reflections, creating a relentless flow of anger and accusation. The lack of stanza breaks reinforces the poem’s urgency, as if the speaker cannot pause in their denunciation. The repetition of phrases like “may they” and “this poem wants” lends the text a rhythmic, incantatory quality, emphasizing its roots in the tradition of curses and invocations.

"Cursing Poem: This Poem Wants Gordon Shrum to Die" is a powerful expression of anger, solidarity, and resistance. Wayman uses the raw language of suffering to confront readers with the realities of exploitation, refusing to sanitize or soften his critique. By channeling collective frustration into a pointed, poetic curse, the poem becomes a call to action, demanding recognition of the human cost of systemic oppression. At its core, the poem is not just about Gordon Shrum but about the structures he represents, reminding readers of the urgent need for change and the enduring power of poetry to give voice to the voiceless.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...