Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy's "Fox in the Morning" is a delicate and evocative portrayal of the persistence and grace of the grey fox, a creature that embodies resilience in the face of encroaching threats. The poem opens with a careful observation: "The grey fox, so called actually the color of wet sand here on the Cape," immediately setting the scene in a specific locale and providing a vivid image of the fox’s true coloring. This specificity of place—Cape Cod—adds a layer of intimacy and familiarity to the poem.

The fox "pads daintily past the herb garden," an image that highlights the creature's light-footed grace. The poet's quiet acknowledgment, "See, I murmur to her or him, you still exist," conveys a sense of relief and validation. This line suggests a prior concern for the fox's survival, perhaps reflecting broader environmental anxieties. The poet’s interaction with a park biologist, who doubted the fox’s presence, underscores the tension between scientific skepticism and personal observation.

Piercy then provides evidence of the fox's continued existence: "I've seen you eating wild grapes near the dunes. I watched your kits run up pitch pines for safety." These memories of the fox engaging in natural behaviors reinforce the theme of resilience and adaptability. The mention of "kits" (young foxes) climbing trees for safety paints a picture of the fox's instinctual survival tactics, emphasizing their cleverness and resourcefulness.

The poem acknowledges the threats faced by the grey fox: "Even with the coywolves hunting you and the red fox claiming your territory." The term "coywolves" refers to the hybrid offspring of coyotes and wolves, indicating a changing ecosystem and new predators. The red fox, another competitor, represents additional pressure on the grey fox's habitat. Despite these challenges, the grey fox remains "at home where you belong," a testament to its resilience and tenacity.

The poet notes the fox’s interactions with human-provided food: "stopping to check out birdseed we scattered on needles, leftover cashews you gobble." This behavior illustrates the fox's ability to adapt to human presence and take advantage of available resources, further highlighting its survival skills.

The final lines of the poem are particularly evocative: "You move like the wind through dead grasses snow has not yet flattened and vanish brush of tail last." The comparison of the fox’s movement to the wind emphasizes its ethereal, almost magical presence. The imagery of "dead grasses snow has not yet flattened" situates the scene in a transitional season, perhaps late fall or early winter, adding a sense of temporal fragility. The fox’s disappearance, with only the "brush of tail last," leaves a fleeting, haunting impression, much like a whisper of nature's enduring but elusive beauty.

In "Fox in the Morning," Marge Piercy masterfully captures the essence of the grey fox and its struggle for survival amidst environmental changes and predatory threats. The poem is a meditation on resilience, adaptation, and the quiet, often unnoticed beauty of the natural world. Through vivid imagery and a tone of gentle reverence, Piercy invites readers to appreciate and reflect on the delicate balance of nature and the tenacity of its inhabitants.

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