Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Wrigley’s "Morelity" is a compact and evocative meditation on the act of foraging for morel mushrooms, transforming a seemingly mundane activity into a profound reflection on discovery, transformation, and the interplay of nature and human desire. The poem’s title cleverly merges "morel," the sought-after mushroom, with "morality," suggesting deeper ethical or philosophical considerations lurking beneath its vivid imagery.

The poem opens with a depiction of the forest as a space of concealment and revelation: "The heavy thatch of needle and leaf is sun-mottled, / so the eye you need to find them almost always fails." This description captures the elusive nature of morels, whose camouflage makes them difficult to locate amidst the forest floor. The interplay of light and shadow creates an environment where perception is challenged, mirroring the effort required to uncover hidden treasures in both nature and life.

When the speaker finally discovers the mushrooms—"the dark knuckles rucking up the duff, / their reticular brains / bobbing in the air"—the description imbues the morels with a sense of organic vitality. The phrase "reticular brains" evokes their intricate, networked structure, likening them to a form of natural intelligence. The "sexual musk" of the morels adds an almost primal, sensual dimension to the scene, emphasizing the mushrooms’ role in the larger cycles of reproduction and decay.

The speaker’s initial difficulty in finding the mushrooms gives way to an abundance: "after that they’re everywhere." This shift reflects the way human perception often works—once the mind attunes itself to recognize a pattern, it begins to see it with ease. The act of gathering becomes an almost magical experience, as the "grocery bag grows as heavy as a child, and limp." The simile likening the bag to a sleeping child introduces a tender, almost nurturing element to the act of harvesting, suggesting a respect for the life that has been taken.

The poem then moves from the forest to the kitchen, where the morels’ transformation continues: "plucked up they could only sleep and dream: of how the sun / they had yearned for awaits them in the butter?s slick / and the skillet?s sublunary bed." The shift in imagery from the forest floor to the culinary setting highlights the mushrooms’ journey from the wild to human consumption. The idea that the morels "dream... of the sun" is both whimsical and poignant, suggesting a continuity between their life in nature and their final role as sustenance.

The final lines underscore the transformative power of cooking and eating: "where they?ll sizzle / from fungal unto meat / which you will take and eat." The transition from "fungal" to "meat" captures the alchemy of the culinary process, as the morels are elevated from their raw state to something rich and savory. The phrase "take and eat" carries a biblical resonance, invoking the language of communion and underscoring the ritualistic nature of consuming food that has been foraged with care.

Wrigley’s use of free verse allows the poem to flow naturally, echoing the organic rhythms of the forest and the act of gathering. The language is rich and sensory, immersing the reader in the tactile, olfactory, and visual details of the experience. The poem’s tone shifts seamlessly between wonder and reverence, creating a layered meditation on the interconnectedness of life, death, and sustenance.

"Morelity" is a celebration of the act of foraging as both a physical and philosophical journey. Through its vivid imagery and subtle reflections, Robert Wrigley transforms the search for morels into a meditation on perception, transformation, and the intimate relationship between humans and the natural world. The poem resonates as a reminder of the beauty and complexity inherent in even the simplest acts of living and eating.

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