Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley';s poem "Following the Drinking Gourd" unfolds as a stream of fragmented impressions, memories, and thoughts, brought together through a journey along a road, blending personal reflection with a deeper meditation on time, place, and the passage of experience. The poem is deeply rooted in the present moment, as signaled by the repetition of the word "present" in the opening lines. This repetition emphasizes a fixation on the now, as if the speaker is attempting to hold on to the immediacy of the moment while acknowledging the flow of time that makes such an endeavor impossible.

The title "Following the Drinking Gourd" is rich with historical and cultural connotations. It directly references the folk song "Follow the Drinking Gourd," which served as a coded message for enslaved African Americans escaping to freedom via the Underground Railroad. The "Drinking Gourd" referred to the Big Dipper constellation, which guided them northward. In this context, Creeley’s choice of title evokes themes of movement, navigation, freedom, and the search for a better place, though his poem’s journey is less literal and more internal, layered with reflections on the passage of time and the complexity of existence.

The opening lines—"Present again present present again present present again"—immediately set a cyclical tone, as if the present moment is constantly reappearing yet slipping away at the same time. The repetition emphasizes how elusive the "present" is, always here and yet continually moving forward. This leads into the natural imagery of "leaves falling, knives, a windspout of nostalgic faces," which contrasts the natural world (leaves falling) with the sharpness of knives, suggesting a blend of beauty and danger, or the fragility of life in the face of time';s relentless forward motion. The "windspout of nostalgic faces" conjures a whirlwind of memories, faces from the past pulled into the present moment, as the speaker continues to wrestle with the concept of time and memory.

As the poem progresses, the speaker is physically traveling: "Car glides forward / Drive from Bloomington, Indiana to Lexington, Ky." This movement through space mirrors the mental and emotional journey taking place in the poem. The specific place names—Bloomington and Lexington—anchor the journey in real locations, but the surrounding imagery, such as "the walls of fall, the stone, the hill," creates a more abstract, almost timeless landscape. The "trucks in front with the unseen drivers" evoke a sense of anonymity and distance, as though the speaker is surrounded by others yet isolated in their own thoughts. The unseen drivers reflect a broader theme of disconnection in the poem, where people and places pass by but remain ungraspable.

"Stoney Lonesome" and "Gnaw-bone," two unique place names, introduce a sense of Americana, a quirky but resonant sense of geography, and perhaps a nod to the way names themselves are part of how we map and make sense of the world around us. The "house sits back from the road" suggests a moment of stillness, of something watched but not engaged with, further reinforcing the distance and separation inherent in the journey.

The poem then shifts into a reflection on time: "A Christmas present-all present and accounted for? Sir? Passage of time." Here, the word "present" plays on its dual meanings—both as a gift and as the current moment. The phrase "all present and accounted for?" invokes a military or formal inspection, as if time itself is being counted or recorded, yet the passage of time remains elusive and hard to pin down. The sun’s position—"level from the left-hand side of the land"—further reflects the movement of time, but the speaker questions their own bearings, asking, "left, east? South?" This confusion about direction echoes the poem’s larger meditation on the difficulty of understanding where one stands in relation to time, space, and meaning.

The repetition of "Sun shines" marks a return to the present moment, as if the speaker is trying to re-anchor themselves in the here and now. Yet, the instruction to "Go on" signals the inevitability of continued movement, both in the literal journey and in the passage of time. The speaker commands, "Tell me, them, him, her, their apparent forms," as if seeking some clarity, some definitive understanding of the people and places passing by. But the answer remains elusive: "The ';present dented,'; call it ';long / distance.';" The present moment, once again, is shown to be imperfect, "dented," and the notion of "long distance" adds a sense of remoteness, whether emotional or physical.

The poem returns to the act of driving: "Drive on what seems an / exceptionally smooth and even surface," yet the journey remains metaphysical as much as physical, moving through not only space but also the mind. The cars ahead "glint in that sun of a universe of mine," suggesting that even the shared experience of driving is deeply personal, seen through the subjective lens of the speaker’s consciousness.

In the final lines, Creeley introduces a note of existential contemplation: "So far, so long, so anywhere a place if not this one-driving, / screaming a lovely song perhaps, or a cigar smoke." The act of driving becomes a metaphor for the passage through life, where destinations and meaning remain uncertain. The mention of a song—perhaps the "famous song" from earlier in the poem—connects the journey to the act of storytelling, the way songs and narratives help guide us through the "passing way." Yet the poem ends on an unresolved note: "or done or right or wrong or wander on." This sense of wandering reflects the speaker’s ongoing search for understanding, for clarity, but the answers remain ambiguous, suspended between "right" and "wrong."

Creeley’s "Following the Drinking Gourd" is a journey through space, time, and memory, layered with the weight of existential questioning. The act of driving serves as a metaphor for the human condition, where we are constantly moving forward, uncertain of our direction or ultimate destination, but propelled by the need to keep going. Through its fragmented form and elliptical language, the poem invites the reader to reflect on the nature of time, the impermanence of experience, and the difficulty of truly understanding the present moment.

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