Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Chasing the Bird" by Robert Creeley offers a poignant reflection on the passage of time, the inevitable approach of night, and the personal struggles that become more pronounced in its solitude. Through its compact structure and evocative imagery, the poem encapsulates a moment of existential contemplation, blending elements of the natural world with internal turmoil.

The opening lines, "The sun sets unevenly and the people / go to bed," set a scene of daily routine and the natural cycle of day into night. However, the mention of the sun setting "unevenly" introduces a sense of imbalance or disturbance in what might otherwise be considered a mundane process. This unevenness hints at the underlying discord or unease that characterizes the speaker's experience of the world.

Creeley then expands the canvas to the nocturnal landscape, stating, "The night has a thousand eyes. / The clouds are low, overhead." This imagery invokes a sense of being watched or observed, suggesting the pervasive presence of thoughts or concerns that become more acute in the solitude of night. The low-hanging clouds add a claustrophobic element to the scene, symbolizing the weight of these thoughts or the oppressive nature of the speaker's worries.

As the poem progresses, the increasing difficulty of facing each night is articulated: "Every night it is a little bit / more difficult, a little / harder." These lines capture the cumulative burden of existential or emotional challenges, suggesting that with each passing day, the effort required to confront or endure one's inner turmoil grows.

The final line, "My mind / to me a mangle is," delivers a powerful conclusion to the poem. Here, Creeley employs a striking metaphor to describe the state of the speaker's mind—a "mangle," a machine used for pressing water from wet clothes, suggests both the pressure exerted on the speaker's thoughts and the resulting distortion or wringing of their sense of self. This metaphor vividly encapsulates the internal conflict and disorientation that characterizes the speaker's experience, reinforcing the theme of personal struggle against the backdrop of the natural and temporal landscape.

"Chasing the Bird" is a reflective and deeply resonant piece that explores themes of time, the cyclical nature of existence, and the personal battles waged within the quietude of night. Creeley's use of natural imagery to mirror internal states of being, combined with his concise yet potent language, creates a poem that is both accessible and layered with meaning. Through its exploration of the nightly return to solitude and introspection, the poem invites readers to consider their own experiences of night as a time of reflection, challenge, and existential contemplation.

POEM TEXT: https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/onecity/2009/09/dharma-poetry-robert-creeley.html