Elizabeth Bishop’s Man-Moth is amazing! There is everything
one wants in a poem (or a story for that matter), mystery, darkness, sadness, a
hope that can never be fulfilled, and all of it lies in a character that has a
genuinely gentle heart. If you have read any of my other posts you know I enjoy
the darker creepy stuff, I think it plays more to the imagination, which
entails allows your emotions to become more subjective to the poem itself.
I
may be reading more into this poem than what is actually there, but I think
this poem tells the lives of many people, even if those people do not accept
it. First we have a man who chooses to remain hidden by living in the
underground tunnels. How often do we choose to keep thoughts and emotions
hidden from those around us, we bury our burdens deep inside so others will not
have to be bothered. There have probably been a few occasion when one chooses
to actually open up and reveal what is going on inside and it ends up not
working out as planned and just like the Moth-Man one ends up falling on their
back. When this fall takes place, the person who has fallen ends up going back
into their hiding place, alone and sad.
Given
this is not an image most want to look at in themselves, but it is there. That
is why Bishop’s use of imagery is so great in this poem, it taps into an
emotional side that most try to avoid, yet gives so much character. I just want
to give the Moth-Man a hug to tell you the truth. On a secondary note, I enjoy
cryptozoology and this story reminded me of the Mothman mystery that took place
in West Virginia about fifty years ago.
Ron
Padgett’s The Love Cook is nothing like Bishop’s
aforementioned poem, this poem is simple and tells of a person who is willing
to care for and cook for the person they love who has been gone for most of the
day. It is simple and sweet.
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