Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Albert Goldbarth's poem "In the Midst of Intrusive Richness" navigates the intricate interplay between the simplicity of past human experiences and the overwhelming complexity of the present. Goldbarth's characteristic weaving of historical and contemporary elements underscores the pervasive influence of technology, media, and accumulated knowledge on modern existence, contrasting it with a more primal and sensuous engagement with the world.

The poem begins with a reference to a 1950s poem, emblematic of its time, which might have described a wasp in a mechanistic manner. Goldbarth critiques this approach for its tendency to layer technology and philosophy over natural phenomena, suggesting a nostalgic longing for a simpler time when experiences were less mediated by intellectual constructs. This longing for simplicity is further illustrated through an allusion to Wordsworth, who sought a new, more naturalistic form of poetry yet consistently romanticized a pastoral past.

Goldbarth juxtaposes this historical yearning with the present moment's sensual immediacy, embodied in the description of Skyler's nakedness and the mutual call of tit to tongue. This scene, set against the backdrop of sunlight filtering through Venetian blinds, captures a moment of pure, unmediated physicality. However, the simplicity of this moment is immediately complicated by the presence of a wasp constructing its mud yurt, a symbol of both natural industriousness and the encroachment of the "too-much world."

The poem then broadens its scope, listing examples of the "intrusive richness" of contemporary knowledge and technology: the microscopic mites breeding in our eyelashes, the immense tides on Io, the Wonder Horse's clairvoyant abilities, the yeti's footprints, and the horrors of the Allied bombing of Hamburg. These examples illustrate the overwhelming flood of information and the often disturbing realities that modern humans must navigate. Goldbarth suggests that this barrage of knowledge can diminish the grandeur of the divine and the poetic, reducing them to mere trinkets or figurines.

In the closing lines, Goldbarth returns to the image of the poet, specifically Keats, working in a simpler time. He envisions Keats in a diorama, London's light casting a steady beam through the shutters and illuminating the poet's work. This image evokes a sense of nostalgia for a time when the act of writing poetry was an intimate, unmediated engagement with the world, unburdened by the complexities of modern knowledge. The poem concludes with the poet observing a wasp, its oscillating movement and blackberry sheen suggesting a connection between the natural world and the ink of creation.

"In the Midst of Intrusive Richness" captures the tension between the simplicity of past human experiences and the overwhelming complexity of the present. Goldbarth's vivid imagery and rich allusions underscore the ways in which technology, media, and accumulated knowledge complicate our engagement with the world, often reducing the divine and the poetic to mere curiosities. The poem ultimately suggests a longing for a return to a more immediate, unmediated experience of the world, embodied in the timeless act of writing poetry and the simple beauty of a wasp's industriousness.

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