The Orchard has been quite the challenge to decipher to say the least. The general consensus is the stream of conscious theory or from a dreams perspective. Even discussions in class left only a dim light on these abstract collection of poems.
Dr. Porter illuminated the work with the dichotomy that is prevalent throughout the text. I found this useful in rereading some of the poems. In regards to "Sheet Music," I was intrigued by a few things that I felt were significant enough to mention.
First, the structure was different compared to most of the other poems. It wasn't just flowing prose as most of the other poems were. It was broken up into four lines with a space in between. Blessed Is the Field, Blacklegs, Midwinter, and The Sparrow's Gate, were the only other poems that employed spacing. I'm not sure of the significance but it seemed worth noting.
Second, was the reoccurring "players" in the poem. The dog, the birds, and nature. This led me to believe that The Orchard is more than a place. The Orchard is the reoccurring dream. And, with the theme of dichotomy it is also the reality. An abstract reality but the reality of a place that is familiar. The Orchard is the world.
Kelly speaks of "The garden's charred terrain, the darkening grass." This can refer to death but could it be the black tar of a road that darkens the grass? Are these poems moments in life that are parallel to a universe that is The Orchard.
Obviously I don't know these answers but an observation of wires with birds on each level looks very similar to sheet music. Kelly says, "For thirty birds, thirty perches from which to sing." Is this an image that is in a daydream of the poet. Is Kelly tottering between two different worlds?
The abstract nature of the book has made it hard for me to pin down anything, so I can only pick up bits and pieces and try to make sense out of them. In this particular poem, it seems to be to be more of a daydream that is blending with reality. There are some really concrete images such as "A giant birdhouse/ Tilted high on a steel pole/ a pale blue box" that are not dream like such as some of the other images in the other poetry in the book. So I do believe Kelly is teetering between two worlds in this poem, the conscious world and the semi-conscious world where one sees reality but interperts differently because they are not thinking of it as reality.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that it seems that Kelly is going between reality and dreams, but I would like to say that the entire book is interpreting a series of similar dreams that the speaker has had. The reason I can't get behind the duality is because there is too much disconnect involved in each of the realms. For instance the line after "pale blue box" is "full of the shredded sheet music of long-dead birds...", which is figurative non-concrete imagery right after the concrete, so I'm inclined to think that all of the images occurred in dreams, and the speaker is reflecting on them while conscious.
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