Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Unidentified Flying Object," Robert Earl Hayden engages with a tale that is as otherworldly as it is deeply rooted in human emotion and vulnerability. The poem tells the story of Mattie Lee, who has mysteriously vanished, and Will, a man who claims to have witnessed an extraterrestrial event the night she disappeared. Yet, even as the poem delves into the fantastical, Hayden keeps it grounded in the realm of the familiar, offering a critique of our collective understanding-or misunderstanding-of the inexplicable.

The mystery begins with the straightforward statement, "It's true Mattie Lee has clean disappeared." This line introduces a note of urgency while also hinting at the skepticism that tends to greet claims of the supernatural or extraterrestrial. The subsequent discussion about notifying the sheriff underscores this skepticism and establishes the tension between believing the unbelievable and dismissing it as "no earthly use."

Will's narrative serves as the crux of the poem. He was "sleeping one off under the trees," a description that brings into question his reliability as a witness. However, what he claims to have witnessed is profoundly unsettling: a spaceship landing in a "silvery dome with gassy-green and red-hot-looking lights like eyes." The eyes "stare blinked stared," as if engaged in a wordless, unsettling communication. These details, articulated with such specificity, add a layer of authenticity to Will's story, and they create a palpable atmosphere of tension and suspense.

Hayden imbues the narrative with a sense of uncanny intimacy. The ramp from the spaceship "glides forward like a glowing tongue poked out," likening it to a living entity. This anthropomorphism is quickly countered by the uncertainty of the next lines, where Hayden describes Will as "trying to peer through webs and bars of gauzy glare." Here, the poem effectively captures the limitations of human perception when confronted with the unknown, epitomized by the image of "gauzy glare screening, distorting a shape."

The poem ends without offering a resolution, allowing the mystery to hang in the air. In doing so, Hayden touches on themes of fear, vulnerability, and our inherent need to explain the unexplainable. While the title "Unidentified Flying Object" may invoke thoughts of extraterrestrial phenomena, the real focus of the poem is on human reactions-disbelief, fear, and a yearning to understand-that such phenomena provoke.

By intertwining the mundane with the mysterious, Hayden creates a narrative that explores not only what lies beyond our comprehension but also the very boundaries of that comprehension itself. "Unidentified Flying Object" serves as a complex psychological study masquerading as a tale of eerie occurrences, urging us to examine the stories we tell ourselves when confronted with the inexplicable-and the lengths we go to either justify or dismiss them.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...