Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Sacred and Profane Dances" by John Ashbery is a poem that juxtaposes the mundane with the surreal, a characteristic feature of Ashbery’s poetic style. The poem opens with a casual conversation about kittens, creating an atmosphere of domestic normalcy. However, this ordinariness is quickly subverted by the introduction of more unusual and abstract elements.

The mention of kittens sets a whimsical tone, but the speaker’s abrupt shift to discussing "a big fat you" and the "Motorway City, Leeds," expands the scope of the poem beyond the personal into a broader, more impersonal realm. The reference to Leeds, a real city known for its industrial history, grounds the poem in a specific location while simultaneously opening it up to broader interpretations about urban life and its complexities.

The poem then delves into the daily routine of an unnamed individual, described with a blend of the sacred (sarabande, a slow, stately dance) and the profane (mundane activities like showering, dressing, and driving to work). This duality reflects the poem's title, "Sacred and Profane Dances," suggesting a dance between the elevated and the ordinary aspects of life.

The narrative shifts again to a more surreal landscape, with the mention of endangered beavers and a photomural. This abrupt change in scenery and the sense of danger and entrapment ("bind him to the trash") evoke a sense of dislocation and unease.

Ashbery’s poem seems to suggest that life is a series of disjointed experiences, where one can suddenly transition from the familiar to the unknown. The phrase “Being is only a way of being” captures this existential uncertainty, emphasizing the fluid and often inexplicable nature of existence.

The poem’s conclusion with a reference to Christmas and Mother, coupled with the advice to “fast forward,” leaves the reader with a sense of unresolved tension. The mention of Christmas introduces a traditional, familial element, yet it's juxtaposed with the advice to skip ahead, perhaps suggesting a desire to escape or move beyond conventional experiences.

"Sacred and Profane Dances" is emblematic of Ashbery's approach to poetry, where ordinary life is infused with elements of the strange and surreal, and where the narrative is less about coherence and more about evoking feelings, images, and a sense of the fluidity of experience

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