Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"A Way of Being" by Barbara Guest is a poem that navigates themes of movement, identity, and the interaction between human experiences and the natural world. The poem begins with an image of people traveling in cars, evoking a sense of journey and transience: "There we go in cars, did you guess we wore sandals? / Carrying the till, memorizing its numbers, apt at the essential such as rearranging languages." This opening sets a tone of exploration and adaptability, suggesting that the travelers are well-versed in navigating different environments and cultures.

Guest’s use of sandals as a detail indicates a casual, almost bohemian approach to travel, emphasizing comfort and ease. The act of memorizing numbers and rearranging languages underscores the necessity of adaptation and the fluidity required in constant movement. The comparison to "savages who wear shells" highlights a primal connection to nature and simplicity, suggesting that despite the modern mode of transport, the travelers retain a fundamental, naturalistic way of being.

The poem shifts to a more introspective tone with the lines: "I cannot place him. Yet I do. / He must ascend indefinitely as airs he must regard his image as plastic, adhering to the easeful carpet that needs footprints and cares for them." This contemplation of identity and image suggests a fluid and evolving sense of self. The metaphor of the image as plastic indicates malleability, while the "easeful carpet" needing footprints speaks to the human desire to leave a mark and be remembered.

Guest’s mention of houses they pass by and the activities within them – "Such a day/or such a night reeling from cabin to cabin / looking at the cakewalk or merely dancing" – evokes a sense of fleeting encounters and transient connections. The adventures in various forms of light symbolize the different phases and experiences encountered on their journey.

The poem returns to the theme of movement and the reliability of the cars: "Yet the cars / do not cheat, even their colors perform in storm. / We never feel the scratch, they do." This personification of cars suggests a protective, almost heroic role they play in the travelers' lives, shielding them from the harsher elements of nature.

In contemplating the natural elements, Guest writes: "When lightning strikes it's safer to ride on rubber going down a mountain, safer than trees, or sand, more preventive to be hid in a cloud." This highlights the tension between the natural world and human ingenuity, suggesting that while nature is formidable, human innovation offers safety and protection.

The poem takes a reflective turn with the lines: "One tear, a salty one knowing we have escaped the charm of being native. / Even as your glance through the windshield tells me you've seen another mishap of nature you would willingly forget." This acknowledgment of loss – the loss of a native, rooted existence – suggests a bittersweet acceptance of their nomadic lifestyle. The reference to "the old manse and robins" conjures a nostalgic image of stability and familiarity, contrasting with their current state of perpetual movement.

Guest concludes with a poignant observation on the journey ahead: "The plateau, excursionist, / is ahead. After that twenty volumes of farmland. Then I must guide us to the wood garage someone has whitened where the light enters through one window like a novel." This imagery of guiding towards a destination that is both ordinary and extraordinary underscores the continuous search for meaning and belonging.

The final lines of the poem emphasize the understanding of distance and the nature of relationships: "You must peer at it without weakening, without feeling hero, or heroine, / Understanding the distances / between characters, their wakeful / or sleep searchingness, as far from the twilight ring the slow sunset, the quick dark." This reflects on the complexity of human connections and the acknowledgment of both physical and emotional distances that shape our interactions and experiences.

"A Way of Being" encapsulates the essence of a journey – both literal and metaphorical – through landscapes, memories, and relationships. Barbara Guest masterfully intertwines vivid imagery with deep reflection, creating a tapestry of thoughts that invite readers to contemplate the nuances of movement, identity, and the human condition. The poem offers a meditation on the continuous quest for understanding and the transient beauty found in the interplay of nature and human existence.

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