Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem "What is Poetry" by John Ashbery is a profound contemplation on the nature of poetry itself, examining its thematic substance, its emotional resonance, and its relationship to ideas and thought. The poem begins with a series of vivid images: a "medieval town," boy scouts from Nagoya, and an awaited snowfall. These are "beautiful images," Ashbery writes, but he then raises a question - is poetry merely about avoiding "Ideas," much as the poem itself seems to be doing?

The first lines seem almost nostalgic, painting a picture of an idealized past, or perhaps imaginary spaces. However, the reference to "Trying to avoid / Ideas" shifts the terrain dramatically. Ashbery touches upon the often elusive nature of poetry, where it seems that the act of defining it, of attaching concrete ideas to it, would be counterproductive, if not damaging. Yet, the irony lies in the necessity of returning to these ideas, "as to a wife, leaving / The mistress we desire?" The poet acknowledges the inevitable link between ideas and poetry, likening it to a long-standing, perhaps even monotonous, relationship that one can't help but return to.

When Ashbery writes, "In school / All the thought got combed out," he points toward a systematized form of education where original ideas are filtered, refined, or perhaps even eliminated. The aftermath of this is "like a field," vast and barren, which Ashbery then invites us to feel "for miles around." The field metaphor serves as a powerful image for both possibility and emptiness, suggesting that the removal of certain "thought" leaves behind a vast scope for emotional and intellectual exploration, which can be both exhilarating and daunting.

The poem closes with the intriguing image of a "thin vertical path," a narrow avenue that might yield "some flowers soon." This line seems to suggest that even within the barren field of post-idea space, there is hope for new growth, new beauty - perhaps even new ways of thinking about the age-old question of what poetry is. The "flowers" could symbolize new ideas or artistic expression, suggesting that even when confined to a narrow scope, creativity has the potential to thrive.

Overall, Ashbery's "What is Poetry" exists in the delicate space between definition and ambiguity, engaging with but never fully answering the question it poses. It reflects the paradoxical nature of poetry - the constant interplay between form and freedom, between the limiting structures of language and the boundless expansiveness of thought and emotion. In trying to evade a concrete answer, the poem embodies the essence of what poetry often is: an ever-shifting landscape of ideas and images, refusing to be easily categorized or understood.

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