Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Tom Wayman’s "Country of Everyday: Literary Criticism" is a profound and unflinching exploration of the dissonance between artistic creation and the gritty reality of labor. By juxtaposing the poet’s world of imaginative introspection with the raw and often brutal experiences of working-class individuals, Wayman challenges readers to confront the privilege of artistic pursuits and to acknowledge the physical and emotional toll of everyday work. The poem serves as both a critique and a meditation, asking whether the lofty ambitions of art can truly capture or honor the lives of those whose labor sustains society.

The poem opens with a harrowing anecdote: the death of a young foreman who accidentally touches a powerline while trying to move a lamppost. This vivid and tragic moment, recounted by “Wood,” sets a stark tone, immediately grounding the poem in the physical dangers and irreversibility of manual labor. The details—“his ears melted,” “holes burned in the pavement where his knees were”—are visceral and unforgiving, refusing to romanticize the incident. This death becomes emblematic of the risks and sacrifices inherent in labor, contrasting sharply with the detached, reflective world of poetry.

Wayman contrasts this raw physicality with the abstract pursuits of poets who delve into the "heart of a door" or "claim to know what it’s like to have a crucifix wedged in the throat." These poetic images, while powerful in their own right, are framed against the backdrop of relentless and mundane labor: a housewife endlessly washing, a girl standing in a cannery line, and workers balancing precariously on high steel. By placing these vivid, tactile depictions of work alongside the abstract explorations of poets, Wayman critiques the disconnection between artistic endeavors and the realities of the working class.

Throughout the poem, Wayman emphasizes the labor and fatigue that underpin society, describing the weariness of millwork, the exhaustion of graveyard shifts, and the fleeting solace found in "a beer and a laugh." These moments of physical toil and human endurance are not merely background details but are presented as foundational to the poet’s ability to reflect and create. The poet’s evening walk, “listening to his feet on the concrete,” is a metaphor for how artistic contemplation is literally and figuratively built upon the labor of others. The concrete he walks on, and the lives it represents, wear down under the weight of endless work and repetition.

Wayman’s critique extends to the literary world itself, where poetic ambition often overlooks or diminishes the experiences of laboring individuals. He juxtaposes the intellectual engagement of literary critics and poets—who “consider the rhythm of the word ‘dark’ and the word ‘darkness’”—with the physical precarity of workers on a warehouse roof or a dock. The poem suggests that while artists and critics may delve into the unconscious and the metaphysical, they often do so at the expense of recognizing the tangible, immediate struggles of working people. This tension becomes particularly poignant in lines describing Swede, drunk in a bar, recounting his near-death experience on an oil rig, and Ed Shaw, staring into the hold where a cable fatally lashed one of his crew. These stories are as rich in narrative and human experience as any poem, yet they exist largely unacknowledged within the literary canon.

Structurally, Wayman employs a conversational tone and free verse, mirroring the storytelling traditions of working-class narratives. The poem flows seamlessly between anecdote and reflection, creating a rhythm that mimics the ebb and flow of daily life. This lack of formal constraints reinforces the authenticity and immediacy of the experiences Wayman depicts. The narrative-driven style also allows Wayman to foreground the voices of workers—Wood, Swede, and Ed Shaw—whose stories anchor the poem in lived reality.

The final stanza brings the critique full circle, focusing on the poet’s solitary walk, “pondering all the adjectives for rain.” This image, laden with irony, underscores the privilege of poetic introspection. While the poet reflects on language and imagery, countless others endure physical and emotional exhaustion, their lives “wearing down like cement.” The mention of a retired City worker who has “never read a modern poem” further emphasizes the gap between the world of poetry and the people whose labor sustains it. This man, sitting alone on a meager pension, represents the overlooked and undervalued contributors to society, whose lives remain uncelebrated by the art they indirectly support.

“Country of Everyday: Literary Criticism” ultimately critiques the myopia of the literary and artistic world while simultaneously celebrating the resilience and humanity of workers. Wayman reminds readers that art does not exist in isolation but is intricately connected to the labor and sacrifice of countless individuals. The poem challenges poets, critics, and readers alike to reconsider the purpose and scope of literature, urging them to bridge the gap between intellectual pursuits and the lived realities of those outside the artistic sphere. In its stark imagery and uncompromising honesty, the poem becomes a call to acknowledge and honor the often invisible labor that shapes our world.

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