Scraping for Joy in Matthew Dickman`s Poetry - Assignment Example

“Scraping for Joy” in Matthew Dickman`s Poetry Chinese believe that poets are capable of flowing from one world to another “riding on dragons” between the worlds. Such leaps usually occur at the times of inspiration or in a dream and lead poets from conscious to unconscious, from black to white and back again. Christianity opposed diving into unconscious viewing it as animal instinct and sinful. Thus, religion imposed restrictions on free associations in art viewing them as perverted. William Blake was the first who stated that religion deprived us from leaping in our minds and from joy as a result (Bly 4). Matthew Dickman, born much later than Blake, also felt that lack of joy in modern life and called the readers to “scrape for it”. So what does it mean to “scrape for joy” for a modern poet and a reader? The poem “Slow Dance” is aimed to give indirect answer to this question as the reader has to make conclusions himself. Dickman instantly attracts reader`s attention with the title of the poem as slow dance can evoke associations in everyone who did it at least once. Slow dance is a deeply intimate and sophisticated action and a state of mind when two people get close to each other moving in a rhythm of the music. Slow dance can become a beginning of a love affair or a ritual step into marriage life. Slow dance is usually an expression of real bond between people who mean making their connection even stronger dancing a slow dance. Dickman emphasizes the fact that we desperately need this slow dance more than anything else in the world; however he implies deeper sense under this concept. The author finds accurate comparisons for this issue: “More than putting another man on the moon,  more than a New Year’s resolution of yogurt and yoga” Therefore, slow dance epitomizes something much bigger than a dance, an action, and a ritual. Slow dance serves as a metaphor of elusive moments of happiness in life, which are only noticed when they are over or recognized by tiny details and hues of feelings: “A little music. An empty bottle of whiskey.  It’s a little like cheating. Your head resting  on his shoulder, your breath moving up his neck.”  Such slow dances remind me of a swimming or falling asleep, which are often mechanic to such an extent that you lose the sense of reality. These magic moments of leaping from conscious to unconscious with the help of natural motions and states can be achieved by anyone anytime. Dickman as one of the most sensitive poets tries to attract readers` attention to that fact, explaining that there is no need to be a poet to “ride a dragon”. And slow dance is even more efficient for such leaps as it involves music: “The Unchained Melody,  Stairway to Heaven, power-cord slow dance.” Dickman shows that the presence of a close person is one of the most mystical moments in daily life which we rarely pay attention to. Slow dance helps to switch from daily routine and concentrate on the person who is near. Such presence, such body communication allows thinking of eternal existential things: “Her hips unfolding like a cotton napkin  and you begin to think about how all the stars in the sky  are dead.” For Dickman his woman and his brother serve as the constant reminder of death and life temporality. It is useful to forget about such things and to alienate from them from time to time, however, reflexing over such issues is deeplyrooted in human nature. In the moments of slow dance, meaning the moments between conscious and unconscious, the poet cannot escape his thoughts and it seems he does not want to do it:  “When I dance with him,  one of my great loves, he is absolutely human,  and when he turns to dip me  or I step on his foot because we are both leading,  I know that one of us will die first and the other will suffer.”  or “When the woman I’m sleeping with  stands naked in the bathroom,  brushing her teeth, the slow dance of ritual is being spit  into the sink” It is easy to relate oneself to the universal sensation described by Dickman. The author uses simple and comprehensive images, which are easily pictured by imagination. But this does not mean that the author makes his images too simplistic. In most cases, trivial, mundane images are the hardest to convey, and Dickman does it in an impressive way. The author leaps gracefully from real memories to subtle associations, and his poetry can be compared to a dream which is built with the help of free associations by pure conscious: “I’ve hurt you. I’ve loved you. I’ve mowed  the front yard” Nevertheless, the author links all the temporary images to the central image of slow dance. The central concept of the poem is expanded as a metaphor throughout the text: “The slow dance of what’s to come  and the slow dance of insomnia  pouring across the floor like bath water.” It is crucial for the poet not to lose his freedom of associations so he indulges his stream of images, sounds, and sensations and even cannot predict the results himself. Dickman chooses to compare his slow dance, his leap into unconscious to the water pouring across the floor to underline its free flow and irreversibility. Only letting himself absolutely free, diving deep into associations and images the author is able to seize the moment. “Carpe diem” is an ancient universal truth which teaches us to appreciate every moment of our life, to feel presence of the people whom we love, to notice the smallest beautiful details surrounding us. The experience of the moment is so overwhelming that it extends the borders of our conscious and reaches our deep feelings which turn out to be universal. It is no doubt that Dickman asks his readers to open the doors of perceptions and to let the associations enter it, which will help us to feel the joy of every moment and seize it. For Dickamn as poet it constitutes the joy and sense of life. The ending of the poem is absolutely beautiful as the author frees himself from the boundaries completely and slips into unconscious: “It is what we should be doing right now. Scrapping  for joy. The haiku and honey. The orange and orangutang slow dance.” The author uses the verb “scrape” in order to show that it is not as easy as it seems to feel this presence of moment, this joy of life. People have to fight for it, scrape for it, learn to recognize and appreciate it. And all the poetry of Dickman is pierced with the motto of “scraping for joy”, seeing beautiful, noticing eternal things in the smallest episodes of our lives. For instance, in his famous “All-American poem” Dickman calls for living and feeling a wide range of emotions, “Let’s live downtown and go clubbing. God save hip-hop and famous mixed drinks. Let’s live in a cardboard box. Let’s live in a loft above Chelsea, barely human, talking about the newest collection of Elizabeth Peyton, her brilliant strokes, the wine and cheese.” Thus, the author serves as teacher evoking subtle feelings in the readers` hearts and making them notice the tiniest details. Dickman constantly reminds to himself and to his reader that the time is running out, and that we all are mortal so living life to its fullest is the only reasonable choice. Works Cited Bly, Robert. “Looking for a Dragon Smoke”. Leaping Poetry 2008: 1-13. Print Dickson, Matthew. All-American Poetry. Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press, 2008. Print. Read More