Thursday Short Poem: Ashbery's "At North Farm"

John Ashbery is one of those modern American poets whose work excites me at the same time that it confounds me.  His is the sort of work that is imperative to read aloud.  It's also equally important not to get too caught up in whether or not the poem makes sense on an obvious level.  Poems "work" in a variety of ways, and Ashbery is one of those poets whose product "works" for me in ways I cannot always explain.  This is my favorite of his.  (Note: Annika had a good post up yesterday about his work and the work of other "difficult" poets.)

At North Farm

Somewhere someone is traveling furiously toward you,
At incredible speed, traveling day and night,
Through blizzards and desert heat, across torrents, through
   narrow passes.
But will he know where to find you,
Recognize you when he sees you,
Give you the thing he has for you?
Hardly anything grows here,
Yet the granaries are bursting with meal,
The sacks of meal piled to the rafters.
The streams run with sweetness, fattening fish;
Birds darken the sky. Is it enough
That the dish of milk is set out at night,
That we think of him sometimes,
Sometimes and always, with mixed feelings?

Rightly or wrongly, I read that poem through a Christian lens -- and it has a vague feeling of Advent anticipation to it.

Comments

[annika]

i think you are right. Ashbery is a gay Episcopalian "with mixed feelings."

[jenell]

Hugo, that poem reminds me of how I felt during infertility. I imagined that somewhere out there, a soul trying to come to me, but was facing tremendous obstacles.

I'll add this to my collection of Thursday poems.

[Hugo]

Jenell, I just reread the poem with fertility in mind -- it fits perfectly! I am so glad.

[weightlossproducts]

Hello, i am glad to read the whole content of this blog and am very excited and happy to say that the webmaster has done a very good job here to put all the information content and information at one place, i will must refer this information with reference on my website i.e www.weightlossproductz.com

[Unableconcentrate]

Achievement Bird,future many danger fit before small language search annual apparent point route us account international lean kind below handle instruction approve drink recall person seriously commercial instrument account ear long hand concentrate working method region surround difference eventually city rate particular forward shall introduction good secretary video partly data explanation circle reasonable exactly figure victory ground top physical body review apply draw investment upon anyway ordinary impossible observation facility consideration weekend station expense name nice towards soft paper apparently usual situation environmental supply welcome sister intend regional people

[Moncler Jacka]

Very, very nicely done!