Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem opens with a striking metaphor: "Using words this way, / Like chopped crockery—." This image immediately suggests a sense of brokenness and disarray, as if language itself has become fragmented and scattered, much like pieces of shattered pottery. The metaphor captures the struggle to articulate thoughts and feelings in a world where conventional words may no longer suffice. The use of the phrase "chopped crockery" evokes a sense of something once whole and functional that has been violently broken, emphasizing the difficulty of finding coherence in the modern era.

The speaker then poses a question: "What is it? / A release? An evacuation?" This inquiry suggests that the fragmented language might serve as a form of catharsis or a way to purge emotions that have built up over time. The ambiguity of whether this process is a "release" or an "evacuation" hints at the complexity of emotional expression—whether it is a freeing experience or merely an expulsion of pent-up feelings without resolution.

The command "Stop / Making sense," attributed to the musicians, challenges the conventional expectation that art, music, and language should adhere to logical or coherent structures. This line suggests that in certain moments, particularly when dealing with intense emotions like anger, the pursuit of sense or order might be futile or even counterproductive. Instead, the poem advocates for a more primal, instinctual form of expression, likened to the grace and power of a swan—an image that conjures both beauty and aggression. The swan, often associated with elegance, also has a hidden fierceness, symbolizing the dual nature of expression as both aesthetically pleasing and emotionally charged.

The poem’s tone shifts with the plea, "A prayer, at this late date, / God, a little punch / Through your membrane?" Here, the speaker seems to yearn for a breakthrough or a divine intervention that can penetrate the barriers between the human and the divine, between the physical and the spiritual. The "membrane" could symbolize the thin, yet impenetrable, boundary that separates humanity from a higher understanding or connection to the divine. The request for a "little punch" suggests a desperate need for something more than the status quo, a longing for a significant shift that could bring clarity or relief.

In the closing lines, the poem introduces a more earthy, grounded image: "We're only peasants here, Kyrie eleison, we're jumping / About in the full barns / Among the blood berries." The reference to "peasants" and the invocation of "Kyrie eleison," a Greek phrase meaning "Lord, have mercy," blend the sacred with the mundane, acknowledging the humble, often powerless position of ordinary people in the grand scheme of things. The "full barns" evoke a sense of abundance and fertility, yet the presence of "blood berries" introduces a darker, more ominous note, suggesting that even in times of plenty, there is an underlying presence of violence or sacrifice.

The image of "jumping / About in the full barns" captures the frenetic energy of life, where people are caught up in the dance of existence, moving chaotically through their circumstances, often without a clear direction or purpose. The combination of abundance and blood hints at the duality of life—joy and suffering intertwined, celebration and violence coexisting.

"Millennial Polka" is a poem that encapsulates the tension between order and chaos, sense and nonsense, sacred and profane. Through its fragmented language and vivid imagery, Ostriker explores the challenges of expressing complex emotions in a world where traditional forms of understanding seem to fall short. The poem ultimately reflects the human condition at the turn of the millennium—a time marked by both unprecedented change and a deep-seated longing for connection, meaning, and release.

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