Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s poem "When It Comes" meditates on the inevitability of death and the fading of the self. Through spare and unadorned language, Creeley captures a confrontation with mortality that is both intimate and resistant. The poem embodies a tension between the natural process of dissolution and a fierce personal impulse to hold on to identity, even as it slips away. In this contemplative yet defiant work, Creeley examines the transient nature of life and the self’s struggle against the encroaching void, using imagery that blends the personal with the universal, the tangible with the ephemeral.

The poem begins with the phrase, “When it comes,” signaling the arrival of something inevitable yet unnamed. The ambiguous "it" can be interpreted as death, an experience that looms over life with an inevitable approach. Creeley’s choice to leave "it" unnamed adds a layer of universality, allowing the reader to project their own interpretation onto the impending event, whether it be death, the fading of consciousness, or some other form of finality. By not specifying "it," Creeley captures the amorphous nature of this ultimate experience, which is felt deeply but cannot be fully understood or defined.

Creeley writes that as this "it" arrives, "it loses edge, / has nothing around it." This description conveys a sense of blurring and fading, as if the sharpness of existence gradually diminishes with the approach of death. The phrase “loses edge” suggests that the intensity and definitiveness of life begin to soften, becoming more indistinct as the end nears. The “nothing around it” further emphasizes this dissolution, evoking a sense of isolation or emptiness that surrounds death. This image of loss and softening edge implies that the closer one comes to the end, the less tangible and defined reality becomes, merging into something indefinable and ungraspable.

The line “no place now present / but impulse not one’s own” introduces an unsettling sense of losing control over one’s own will. As "it" approaches, the speaker experiences a pull or impulse that does not feel like it belongs to them, hinting at a surrender to forces beyond personal agency. This “impulse” can be understood as the inevitable pull of mortality, a movement toward the unknown that no one can resist. The idea that this impulse is "not one's own" underscores the involuntary nature of death and the ultimate lack of control we have over our fate. Here, Creeley suggests that death is not just an end but an overpowering force that strips away autonomy, reducing the self to something passive, carried along by a current beyond its control.

Creeley uses a powerful metaphor to depict this journey: "and so empties into a river / which will flow on / into a white cloud / and be gone." The river here symbolizes the continuous, inevitable flow of time or life that carries all things toward dissolution. This image of “emptying into a river” suggests a gradual fading, as the self merges into something larger and more indifferent, losing its individual identity in the process. The river then flows into a “white cloud,” an image that evokes purity, emptiness, and finality, where all distinctions dissolve. The cloud represents the culmination of this journey toward oblivion, where all substance and individuality vanish. By following the river’s path into a “white cloud,” Creeley captures the idea of the self being absorbed into a larger, indistinct whole, ultimately “gone” beyond recall or recognition.

The next stanza shifts in tone, with the exclamation, “Not me’s going!” This line introduces a note of resistance, as the speaker momentarily pushes back against the inevitability of death. The informal, almost childlike phrasing of “Not me’s going!” reflects a fierce, almost desperate desire to cling to life and identity, to refuse surrender even in the face of the inevitable. This defiance underscores the human impulse to resist dissolution, to hold onto the self even as it fades. It is a declaration of individuality in the face of forces that seek to erase it, as though the speaker refuses to accept the passive role that death demands.

The speaker’s resistance continues with the lines, “I’ll hang on till / last wisp of mind’s / an echo.” Here, the speaker resolves to hold on to consciousness, to “hang on” until the very last shred of their mind remains, even if it is reduced to a mere “echo.” This commitment to cling to life, even as it fades, underscores a refusal to let go of selfhood and memory. The phrase “last wisp of mind” captures the fragility and tenuousness of consciousness at the brink of death, where the mind becomes a faint trace, barely persisting but still fiercely held onto.

The imagery intensifies as Creeley describes the body in terms of decay: “face shreds / and moldering hands.” These lines evoke a visceral image of physical disintegration, of the body literally falling apart and returning to dust. The words “shreds” and “moldering” suggest the slow, inevitable process of decomposition, where the body succumbs to time. Despite this harsh reality, the speaker’s defiance remains palpable, as though they are willing to endure this physical decay as long as some semblance of self can persist.

The poem’s final lines—“and all of whatever / it was can’t say / any more to / anyone”—convey the ultimate silence and isolation of death. This conclusion acknowledges that whatever the self or consciousness was in life, it will lose the ability to communicate, to express, to interact with others. The phrase “all of whatever / it was” implies a sense of uncertainty about what the self even is, as if in the face of death, the identity that seemed so solid in life becomes a vague “whatever.” The inability to “say any more to / anyone” underscores the finality and solitude of death, as the self is ultimately cut off from the world of the living, from language, and from connection.

Structurally, “When It Comes” is a compact, free-verse poem that relies on short lines and stark language to convey its themes. Creeley’s choice of simple, unembellished words reflects the rawness of the subject matter, and the lack of punctuation creates a sense of continuous thought, as if the speaker is processing these revelations in real time. The poem’s structure enhances its themes of dissolution and resistance, as the short lines and minimalism suggest a stripping away of unnecessary elements, mirroring the speaker’s journey toward a pared-down, essential confrontation with mortality.

In "When It Comes," Robert Creeley captures the intimate struggle between acceptance and defiance in the face of death. The poem reveals a complex interplay between the inevitable fading of selfhood and the fierce desire to hold on to identity and consciousness, even as they slip away. Through powerful metaphors and a tone that shifts between resignation and resistance, Creeley explores the nature of mortality and the human impulse to cling to life’s final moments. Ultimately, “When It Comes” is a meditation on the fragility of existence and the existential weight of our impermanence, leaving readers with a haunting image of life’s last stand against the silent, unyielding pull of oblivion.

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