Albert Goldbarth is a prosy poet, given to creating small narratives full of vibrant and humorous detail. Rather than employing objects in nature, Goldbarth often includes the peculiar odds and ends of everyday contemporary American life. One of my favorite Goldbarth poems is "Sumerian Votive Figurines," which begins with a contemporary archaeologist's contemplation of the religious significance of ancient figurines and ends with the protagonist's trip past a lawn ornament shop. The descriptions of the ornaments are fantastic:
bulbous-bottomed hausfraus with their bloomers comically skewed,
globe-helmeted deep-sea divers with overspilling treasure chests,
a number of Iwo Jima flag-raisings, artichoke-derriered mermaids
and their trident-bearing paramours, guardian lions, borzois
. . . . . . . .
Okay then, pray for my people, he tells them.
What makes this poem work is the connection between ancient and modern, the recognition of continuity in our spiritual needs. The archaeologist's family troubles, especially, reveal the need to displace our concerns into another (even silly) figure to act as an intercessor between us in our earthly life and the prayers needed to see us through.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
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