04.27.07
James Wright: “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota”
Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota
Over my head, I see the bronze butterfly
Asleep on the black trunk,
Blowing like a leaf in the green shadow.
Down the ravine behind the empty house,
The cowbells follow one another
Into the distances of the afternoon.
To my right,
In a field of sunlight between two pines,
The droppings of last year’s horses
Blaze up into golden stones.
I lean back, as the evening darkens and comes on.
A chicken hawk floats over, looking for home.
I have wasted my life.
–James Wright, 1963
Evil Bender said,
April 27, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I’ve gone back and forth over the years about whether Wright really earns that provocative last line. But even if he doesn’t quite, you’ve got to admire the daring that inspires one to write such a line.
The Lizard Queen said,
April 28, 2007 at 10:24 am
Indeed, I’m not sure he earns it, either. But yes, it’s daring, and I also enjoy it simply from an aural/sonic standpoint.
John Brodsky said,
March 29, 2008 at 10:56 am
The beauty and the evanescence of the preceeding imagery justify it.
David Smith said,
May 16, 2009 at 5:42 pm
The poem transcends space and time. He is justified within the natural quadrant.