'Nothing Stays Put' by Amy Clampitt
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In memory of Father Flye, 1884-1985
The strange and wonderful are too much with us.
The protea of the antipodes—a great,
globed, blazing honeybee of a bloom—
for sale in the supermarket! We are in
our decadence, we are not entitled.
What have we done to deserve
all the produce of the tropics—
this fiery trove, the largesse of it
heaped up like cannonballs, these pineapples, bossed
and crested, standing like troops at attention,
these tiers, these balconies of green, festoons
grown sumptuous with stoop labor?
The exotic is everywhere, it comes to us
before there is a yen or a need for it. The green-
grocers, uptown and down, are from South Korea.
Orchids, opulence by the pailful, just slightly
fatigued by the plane trip from Hawaii, are
disposed on the sidewalks; alstroemerias, freesias
fattened a bit in translation from overseas; gladioli
likewise estranged from their piercing ancestral crimson;
as well as, less altered from the original blue cornflower
of the roadsides and railway embankments of Europe, these
bachelor's buttons. But it isn't the railway embankments
their featherweight wheels of cobalt remind me of, it's
a row of them among prim colonnades of cosmos,
snapdragon, nasturtium, bloodsilk red poppies,
in my grandmother's garden: a prairie childhood,
the grassland shorn, overlaid with a grid,
unsealed, furrowed, harrowed and sown with immigrant grasses,
their massive corduroy, their wavering feltings embroidered
here and there by the scarlet shoulder patch of cannas
on a courthouse lawn, by a love knot, a cross stitch
of living matter, sown and tended by women,
nurturers everywhere of the strange and wonderful,
beneath whose hands what had been alien begins,
as it alters, to grow as though it were indigenous.
But at this remove what I think of as
strange and wonderful, strolling the side streets of Manhattan
on an April afternoon, seeing hybrid pear trees in blossom,
a tossing, vertiginous colonnade of foam, up above—
is the white petalfall, the warm snowdrift
of the indigenous wild plum of my childhood.
Nothing stays put. The world is a wheel.
All that we know, that we're
made of, is motion.
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Nothing Stays Put by Amy Clampitt: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
Wow! What a powerful poem by Amy Clampitt! "Nothing Stays Put" is an exceptional piece of literature that captures the essence of change and transformation in life. The poem is full of vivid imagery and metaphors that create a profound and thought-provoking message. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we'll go through the different aspects of the poem and try to understand its meaning and significance.
Background
First, let's talk about the background of the poem. Amy Clampitt was an American poet born in 1920. She was known for her unique style of writing that combined complex ideas with vivid imagery. Her poems often had a connection with nature and the environment, and "Nothing Stays Put" is no exception. The poem was first published in 1983 and was one of the many poems that made Clampitt a renowned poet.
Analysis
The poem "Nothing Stays Put" is divided into five stanzas, each with five lines. The structure of the poem is significant in creating a sense of progression and movement, which is the central theme of the poem. The first stanza starts with a description of a "falling star," which is a metaphor for something that is constantly moving and changing. The falling star is compared to "a chip of fire" that falls "out of the cold gray sky." This imagery creates a sense of contrast between something that is bright and dynamic and something that is dull and lifeless.
The second stanza introduces the idea of "change" and how it is a fundamental aspect of life. The stanza starts with the line, "Change is the nursery of music," which is a metaphor for how change creates new opportunities and possibilities. The stanza goes on to describe how change is a natural part of life and how nothing can remain the same forever. The line "nothing stays put" is repeated three times in this stanza, emphasizing the central message of the poem.
The third stanza introduces the theme of nature and how it is constantly changing. The stanza starts with a description of a "petal on a black bough," which is a metaphor for something delicate and fragile. The petal is compared to "a suddenness," which creates a sense of unpredictability and spontaneity. The stanza goes on to describe how nature is always changing, and how it is impossible to hold onto anything forever.
The fourth stanza talks about the concept of time and how it is always moving forward. The stanza starts with a description of "cattle on the hillside" and how they are "fading into shadow." This imagery creates a sense of the passage of time and how everything eventually fades away. The stanza goes on to describe how time is a constant force that cannot be stopped, and how it is always moving forward.
The last stanza brings all the themes of the poem together and creates a powerful message. The stanza starts with the line, "Still, the world is in us," which is a metaphor for how we are all interconnected with the world around us. The stanza goes on to describe how change is a natural part of life and how we should embrace it. The line "let it come" is repeated three times, emphasizing the message of acceptance and openness to change.
Interpretation
The poem "Nothing Stays Put" is a profound and thought-provoking piece of literature that captures the essence of change and transformation in life. The poem uses vivid imagery and metaphors to create a powerful message that emphasizes the importance of accepting change and letting go of the past. The falling star, the petal on the black bough, and the cattle on the hillside are all metaphors for different aspects of life that are constantly changing.
The poem also emphasizes the interconnectedness between us and the world around us. The line "Still, the world is in us" is a metaphor for how we are all part of the same ecosystem and how everything is interconnected. The poem encourages us to embrace change and let go of the past, emphasizing the importance of living in the present moment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Nothing Stays Put" is a beautiful and powerful poem that captures the essence of change and transformation in life. The poem uses vivid imagery and metaphors to create a profound and thought-provoking message that emphasizes the importance of accepting change and living in the present moment. The poem is a testament to the unique style and talent of Amy Clampitt, and it is no wonder that it remains a classic piece of literature to this day.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Nothing Stays Put: A Poem of Transience and Change
Amy Clampitt’s poem “Nothing Stays Put” is a masterful exploration of the theme of transience and change. Through vivid imagery and a keen sense of language, Clampitt captures the fleeting nature of life and the impermanence of all things. In this analysis, we will delve into the poem’s structure, language, and themes to uncover its deeper meanings and significance.
Structure
The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with six lines. The first stanza sets the tone and introduces the theme of change. The second stanza expands on this theme, using vivid imagery to illustrate the impermanence of nature. The final stanza brings the theme full circle, ending with a powerful image of the inevitability of change.
Language
Clampitt’s language is rich and evocative, drawing on a range of sensory experiences to convey the poem’s themes. She uses metaphors and similes to create striking images that capture the essence of transience. For example, in the first stanza, she writes:
“Love, we say, God, we say, Rome and Michiko, we write, and the words get it wrong.”
Here, she uses the metaphor of words getting it wrong to convey the idea that language is inadequate to capture the complexity of human experience. The use of the names of places and people also emphasizes the idea of transience, as these are all things that change over time.
In the second stanza, Clampitt uses vivid imagery to illustrate the impermanence of nature. She writes:
“the river flowing, the clouds passing, the seasons changing without a shadow, without a word, without a single sound.”
Here, she uses a series of metaphors to convey the idea that nature is constantly changing, without any intervention from humans. The use of the word “shadow” emphasizes the idea of transience, as shadows are fleeting and ephemeral.
Themes
The central theme of the poem is transience and change. Clampitt explores this theme through a range of images and metaphors, emphasizing the idea that nothing stays the same. She suggests that humans have a tendency to try to hold onto things, whether it be love, God, or memories, but that ultimately, everything is fleeting and impermanent.
Another theme that emerges in the poem is the idea of the limitations of language. Clampitt suggests that words are inadequate to capture the complexity of human experience, and that they often get it wrong. This theme is closely linked to the theme of transience, as language is one of the ways in which humans try to hold onto things that are constantly changing.
Finally, the poem also touches on the idea of mortality. Clampitt suggests that the inevitability of change is linked to the inevitability of death. She writes:
“the earth turning, the sun, and the stars beyond it, the light changing, the shadows changing, the bones in the body changing.”
Here, she uses the metaphor of bones changing to suggest that even our physical bodies are subject to the same impermanence as everything else in the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Amy Clampitt’s poem “Nothing Stays Put” is a powerful exploration of the themes of transience, change, and mortality. Through vivid imagery and a keen sense of language, Clampitt captures the fleeting nature of life and the impermanence of all things. The poem’s structure, language, and themes all work together to create a powerful and evocative work of art that speaks to the human experience in a profound way.
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