Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Makesense" by Eamon Grennan traverses vast landscapes of imagery and emotion, juxtaposing serene natural beauty with scenes of violence and despair. The poem explores the search for meaning amid chaos and the inherent contrasts in human experience, suggesting an overarching complexity that defies simple understanding.

The poem opens with a serene depiction of Vermont: "Vermont, he says, seen from an eminence, / throws itself together." This tranquil image of a landscape coming together contrasts sharply with the subsequent lines: "But airwaves clog / with a dust storm of bodies / under the sun of Africa: boys with guns / ripping the red heart out of villages." Here, Grennan shifts abruptly from pastoral calm to brutal conflict, capturing the jarring dissonance between different parts of the world. The "dust storm of bodies" and "boys with guns" evoke scenes of violence and destruction, underscoring the fragility of peace.

The imagery becomes more vivid and visceral: "children hidden for only a minute / under robes of saffron, raspberry, sky-blue / and then not, the kitchen floor awash in blood." The fleeting protection offered by the colorful robes contrasts tragically with the bloodshed that follows. Grennan's use of rich, vibrant colors against the stark horror of violence heightens the emotional impact, illustrating the sudden and devastating loss of innocence.

Grennan then introduces another scene of environmental distress: "Elsewhere, one oil-slicked cormorant / trying to draw asthmatic breath." This image of a struggling bird, covered in oil, symbolizes the broader environmental degradation and its suffocating effects. The cormorant's plight adds another layer of sorrow to the poem, emphasizing the widespread impact of human actions on nature.

Despite these scenes of chaos and suffering, the poem shifts back to a focus on the natural world: "And still / these peregrine eyes set off / among the hundred nameless colours / of this October morning." The speaker's gaze moves across an array of autumnal colors, attempting to find order and beauty in the midst of turmoil. The detailed list of colors—"amberyellow, / I try, rufusginger, winecitron, / fox, fawn, bear, mellow flesh of mango"—reflects a deep appreciation for the subtle variations in nature, suggesting a search for solace and meaning.

Grennan references the painter Poussin, known for his classical landscapes, to underscore the complexity and harmony found in art: "What Poussin / found, for instance, in that vibrant light and shade / in which the man sprawls with the snake / that killed him." This image of a man and the snake that killed him captures the intertwining of life and death, beauty and danger. The pastoral scene with "the figure fishing" and "a herd of oxen" mirrored in the water further exemplifies the balance and symmetry Poussin achieved, symbolizing an attempt to bring order to the world's chaos.

The poem concludes with a reflection on the paradoxical nature of existence: "the whole prodigious scene so disposed / it brings mystery and matter into a single / unsayable configuration—as if seen / from a great height, yet hidden and intimate / as your blood is." This closing suggests that while the world's complexity can be observed from a distance, its true essence remains intimate and mysterious, much like the blood coursing through one's veins. The final lines, "pulse-parsing / in its own innocence, in its immaculate / indifference, every passing present moment," highlight the inherent innocence and indifference of nature and time, indifferent to human suffering yet intrinsic to every moment.

"Makesense" by Eamon Grennan masterfully weaves together disparate images and themes to explore the quest for meaning in a world marked by both beauty and brutality. Through its rich, contrasting imagery and contemplative tone, the poem invites readers to consider the intricate and often unsayable connections that define our existence, suggesting that understanding may lie in recognizing the coexistence of order and chaos.

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