Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Robert Creeley’s "Mitch" is a deeply personal and contemplative poem, reflecting on the themes of friendship, mortality, loss, and the passage of time. The poem serves as a tribute to Mitch, a classmate and close friend of the speaker, whose death becomes a catalyst for broader reflections on life, memory, and the inevitable approach of death. Through its fragmented structure, sparse language, and emotionally charged imagery, Creeley captures the weight of grief and the complex emotions that come with aging and the loss of loved ones.

The poem begins with a straightforward introduction: "Mitch was a classmate later married extraordinary poet." This establishes Mitch as both a significant figure in the speaker’s life and an extraordinary individual in his own right. The mention of Mitch being an "extraordinary poet" adds a layer of reverence, positioning him as someone whose creative life and personal relationships were deeply intertwined. The speaker recalls that their families were friends during their youth, spanning locations such as New York, New Hampshire, and France, suggesting a bond that endured through various stages of life and across different geographies.

As the poem progresses, Creeley shifts from this nostalgic recollection to a more specific memory of Mitch’s appearance: "He had eyes with whites above eyeballs looked out over lids in droll surmise." This detailed description of Mitch’s eyes—striking and filled with a sense of detached humor or "droll surmise"—paints a vivid picture of his personality. Mitch is remembered not only for his talent but for his unique physical presence, his eyes symbolizing a kind of critical, knowing observation of the world.

The mention of Mitch’s death follows shortly after: "'gone under earth’s lid' was Pound’s phrase, cancered stomach?" Here, Creeley references Ezra Pound’s phrasing, which lends a poetic gravity to Mitch’s passing. The specific cause of death, "cancered stomach," is presented as a quiet question, underscoring the speaker’s lingering disbelief or uncertainty about the details of his friend’s death. The phrase "gone under earth’s lid" evokes the imagery of burial, of Mitch being swallowed by the earth, signaling the permanence of his departure.

The next section of the poem reflects on the speaker’s recent experiences with death, mentioning "two friends the past week," indicating that Mitch’s passing is part of a larger pattern of loss in the speaker’s life. This accumulation of loss prompts broader reflections on the inevitability of death and the inadequacy of the living to fully comprehend or accept it. The speaker describes the situation of one of these friends as an "eccentric dear woman, conflicted with son," whose fate seems uncertain, as if caught between life and death: "Convicted with ground tossed in, one supposes, more dead than alive." This ambiguous, almost indifferent handling of death reflects the speaker’s struggle to make sense of loss, as well as the distance that often exists between those who pass and those left behind.

The poem shifts to a more personal, existential reflection: "Life’s done all it could for all of them. Time to be gone?" Here, the speaker contemplates the natural end of life, asking whether it is indeed time for these friends to leave. The tone is resigned, as if acknowledging that life, despite its complexities and struggles, eventually runs its course. The mention of the speaker feeling "dumbly, utterly, in the wrong place at entirely the wrong time" evokes a profound sense of alienation, not unlike the feeling of displacement during wartime. The reference to "that merciless war" suggests that the speaker’s feelings of helplessness and confusion in the face of death mirror those of being caught in a conflict beyond their control.

The speaker contrasts the harsh realities of death with the beauty and vitality of the earth: "trapped here, old, on a blossoming earth, nose filled with burgeoning odors, wind a caress, sound blurred reassurance." This description of the natural world in full bloom creates a poignant contrast between the inevitability of death and the ongoing vibrancy of life. The sensory details—"burgeoning odors," "wind a caress"—suggest that the speaker is deeply attuned to the physical world, even as they grapple with the emotional weight of mortality.

The latter part of the poem becomes more introspective, as the speaker reflects on the shared experiences of aging and death: "Can’t we see, can’t we now be company to that one of us has to go?" This line suggests a desire for solidarity in the face of death, a recognition that death is something all humans must face, yet it remains a profoundly isolating experience. The speaker’s lament, "I should have hugged him, taken him up, held him, in my arms. I should have let him know I was here," conveys deep regret for not being more physically and emotionally present for Mitch. This sense of missed opportunity and unexpressed affection is central to the poem’s emotional impact, underscoring the speaker’s struggle to reconcile their love for Mitch with the realities of his passing.

The poem closes on an existential note, reflecting on the uncertainty of the speaker’s own future: "Is it my turn now, who’s to say or wants to?" This rhetorical question reflects the speaker’s awareness that death, once abstract and distant, is now a pressing reality in their own life. The line "In God’s hands it’s cold. In the universe it’s an empty, echoing silence" suggests a bleak, almost agnostic view of the afterlife, where the speaker finds little comfort in either divine intervention or cosmic significance. The poem ends with a haunting image of inaction and silence: "Only us to make sounds, but I made none. I sat there like a stone." This final admission of silence—of not speaking, of not acting—emphasizes the speaker’s feelings of paralysis and regret in the face of loss.

Structurally, "Mitch" follows Creeley’s typical fragmented style, with enjambed lines and sparse punctuation creating a sense of fluidity and immediacy. The shifts between personal memory, existential reflection, and sensory detail mirror the speaker’s shifting emotional state, moving between grief, regret, and contemplation.

Thematically, the poem explores the inevitability of death, the fragility of human connections, and the profound sense of loss that accompanies the passage of time. Mitch’s death serves as both a specific event and a symbol for the broader experience of mortality, as the speaker grapples with the inadequacy of language, action, and memory to fully capture the weight of death.

In conclusion, Robert Creeley’s "Mitch" is a poignant meditation on friendship, mortality, and the complexities of grief. Through fragmented, emotionally charged language, Creeley captures the speaker’s struggle to come to terms with the death of a close friend, while also reflecting on the broader, existential questions that arise from aging and the inevitability of loss. The poem’s raw honesty and vulnerability invite readers to reflect on their own experiences of love, loss, and the passage of time.

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