Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"To a Waterfowl" by Donald Hall is a satirical and reflective poem that delves into the poet's experience with his audience and the societal perception of poetry. Through humorous and biting observations, Hall critiques the superficial engagement with poetry by certain segments of society while also expressing a deeper concern for the future of genuine appreciation for the art form.

The poem opens with a vivid and somewhat absurd image: "Women with hats like the rear ends of pink ducks / applauded you, my poems." This humorous simile sets the tone for the poem, highlighting the poet's bemusement at the types of audiences that often attend his readings. The description of the women's hats as resembling "the rear ends of pink ducks" underscores the poet's perception of their superficiality and lack of serious engagement with his work.

Hall then shifts to the reactions of the women's husbands: "These are the women whose husbands I meet on airplanes, / who close their briefcases and ask, 'What are you in?'" The husbands' practical, business-oriented mindset contrasts sharply with the poet's artistic vocation. Their discomfort and anxiety upon learning that the poet is "in poetry" reveal a societal divide between the practical and the artistic, with poetry being seen as an impractical and perhaps even trivial pursuit.

The poet's interaction with these men is marked by a sense of detachment and resignation: "I look in their eyes, I tell them I am in poetry, / and their eyes fill with anxiety, and with little tears." The men’s reaction of "developing an interest in clouds" and making awkward jokes about grammar further emphasizes their discomfort and inability to relate to the poet's world.

In contrast, the poet's experience with the women's clubs is equally superficial but in a different way: "I take a limousine to the Women’s Goodness Club / where I drink Harvey’s Bristol Cream with their wives, / and eat chicken salad with capers, with little tomato wedges." Here, the poet is celebrated, but the praise he receives feels empty and condescending: "Ah, when I have concluded the disbursement of sonorities, / crooning, 'High on thy thigh I cry, Hi!' — and so forth — / they spank their wide hands, they smile like Jell-O, / and they say, 'Hah-hah? My goodness, Mr. Hall, / but you certainly do have an imagination, huh?'"

The poem then takes a more introspective turn as the poet retreats to his motel room: "But now, my poems, now I have returned to the motel, / returned to l’ternel retour of the Holiday Inn, / naked, lying on the bed, watching Godzilla Sucks Mt. Fuji, / addressing my poems, feeling superior, and drinking bourbon / from a flask disguised to look like a transistor radio." In this moment of solitude, the poet contemplates the authenticity of his work and the superficiality of his public engagements. The reference to "Godzilla Sucks Mt. Fuji" and the bourbon flask disguised as a transistor radio add a layer of irony and disillusionment to the scene.

Finally, Hall addresses the younger generation: "And what about you? You, laughing? You, in the bluejeans, / laughing at your mother who wears hats, and at your father / who rides airplanes with a briefcase watching his grammar? / Will you ever be old and dumb, like your creepy parents? / Not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you." This concluding stanza expresses a hope that the younger generation will avoid the superficiality and conventionality of their parents. The repetition of "not you" underscores the poet's plea for authenticity and genuine engagement with life and art.

"To a Waterfowl" by Donald Hall uses humor and satire to critique the shallow appreciation of poetry by certain audiences while reflecting on the poet's own sense of isolation and the hope for a more sincere future generation. Through its vivid imagery and biting observations, the poem captures the tension between societal expectations and the true essence of artistic expression.

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