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A Sonnet
—for my father, an avid gardener and feeder of
wildlife, who recently underwent hip surgery
No one shall intervene this afternoon.
The well fed squirrel squats upon his branch;
The chipmunk chills within his rocky room;
Both stare expectantly, their faces blanch
To see their lord emerge in full array,
A shaper of the Earth who brings forth life.
He’s planting seedlings on this chosen day.
He does not flinch, though demons there are rife.
They throw their spears of aches and pains but miss;
They launch a charge but fall beneath his trowel
Until one bastard lands a lucky fist
That slams his hip and makes him briefly scowl.
He grabs the punk: “Tell he who sent you here
The day is mine and I won’t live in fear.”
.
.
Evan Mantyk teaches literature and history in New York and is Editor of the Society of Classical Poets. His most recent books of poetry are Heroes of the East and West, and a translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
This poem requires multiple readings to comprehend the layers of thought (at least for me). I could start with the thought of the squirrel and chipmunk seemingly living the good life while surrounded or prodded by demons, the word “lord” in lower case shaping the earth, and the “spears” as likely verbal insults, and the response to them. Then there is the title, “A Father’s Day Sonnet” that leads me to a conclusion that the squirrel and chipmunk are either unthankful children or society as a whole. As I said, so much to ponder, but there is a powerful message in each part of this poem.
I love this, Evan, not just for all the pleasures of its agile skill, but also because it reminds me of my own father, whose planting day was Memorial Day weekend and who every year graciously allowed me to “help”. Thanks so much for this–and Happy Father’s Day!
I read the poem as a description of a father planting seedlings as full grown squirrels and chipmunks watch. I may be dead wrong, but I think Evan is attempting to mix many “fathers” together. That’s the reason for the word “lord” w/o a capital letter. He is saying that everything fathers something else.
That’s quite an attempt, and I am not sure that anyone could pull it off, but is very imaginative and certainly worth the try.
But then as I said I may be dead wrong.
Love that opening line – it’s got this vibe of epic grandeur to it!
“shaper of the Earth” feels like it harks back to that line about God making us “a little lower than the angels” – we are lords of the earth, and even in our fallen state it comes through.
And again, that sense of lordship in the confrontation with the “demons”
Enjoyed the development of that metaphor 🙂
On a side note, I thought I’d drop a couple of my fav father’s day pieces in here:
A poem by Seamus Heaney: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47555/digging
And a song by Owl City (my autistic son’s favorite singer):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNAM2EVXH9A
This is certainly a poem with much to ponder. I love that each commenter has found his or her own interpretation which is what I love about poetry. Thank you Evan, for a timely poem. And thank you, Jeremiah, for the Seamus Heaney.
I read this as a man’s determination to succeed at a specific endeavor, or perhaps an older man who has been given another day of life and intends to get everything he can out of it. Demons being whatever problems he may encounter, and he is driven to overcome them. A thought provoking poem.
Thank you for this witty and wonderful poem for Father’s day
Thanks everyone! Maybe some key knowledge should have been included. My dad feeds his squirrels and chipmunks and recently had hip surgery.
Evan, greetings and a speedy recovery to your Father, so he can get back to the squirrels and to you! Your Dad will no doubt have therapy, I have been down that road,But~ that was quite simple, compared to breaking my femur in eight places. That was a much longer recovery….
I found your poem to be quite dear!
Prayers,
Patricia Allred
A lovely poem to honour your father, Evan. The opening line gives a hint at who you’re implying by “they”—his aches and pains? (Since you mentioned he had a recent hip surgery.) The initial images of the squirrel squatting and the chipmunk resting are gripping. The sonnet concludes with a boldness associated with fathers—a never-give-up attitude. Thank you for this. Your father must be proud.
The ‘full array’ I read as the habitual gardening gear most gardeners wear. As for ‘lord’, ‘every man’s home is his castle’. The metaphorical spears and ‘charge’ and other martial language further convey the impression of a castle under siege and assault by the little beasties in the garden.
From the title, I guess this is a generic Father’s Day poem, or is aimed closer to home.
Thanks for the read.
This is a well-crafted sonnet, but I did have trouble figuring out the details until Evan posted his comment of explanation here. If poems are public, they can’t be too cryptic.
There seem to be echoes here of Blake’s famous poem “The Tyger,” especially the words “They throw their spears,” which call to mind “And when the stars threw down their spears.” A common explanation of Blake’s words here is that he is speaking of the rebellion of the angels. And demons are the ones throwing spears in Mantyk’s poem. In addition, “the shaper of the earth who brings forth life” suggests the divine force that “frames fearful symmetry” in the Blake piece.
Evan, just like Sally I read your poem on more than one level and gained much from your words. Having read your “key knowledge” exposé, it reminds me that all those simple things in life hold profound messages, and it would do us all well to value the uncomplicated truth. Thank you!
A powerful piece Evan, especially that last line. Well done.
This is a wonderful poem, Evan — full of cheek and joy, even the part leading up to your father’s hip challenge. I’m glad you offered the explanation in your comment, which truly brought me back to Earth after some difficulty trying to explicate your work. Your fun poem had me developing a theory of parental universality across species. We readers often bring ourselves to our reading of poems, don’t we? I was remembering my frustration at my inability to even remotely understand Eliot’s “Sweeney Among the Nightingales.” I was, therefore, contemplating a whole symbolic interpretation of your work. Not completely unfounded: The “lord” and “shaper” obviously brought in some theology here, even if slightly tongue-in-cheek. And that chipmunk chilling sounded like a dad in his man-cave to me. And the “punk” — to my ear — related back to that chipmunk. (It still does in terms of assonance. That’s the beauty of poetry!) And so I think it is arguable that we are looking at a father’s day with challenges for squirrel and chipmunk and human. The final lines “He grabs the punk: “Tell he who sent you here/The day is mine and I won’t live in fear.” are wonderful and yet, for me, remain cryptic even after your comment. There’s some devil out there sabotaging Father’s Day joy and he better watch it! I end pictuering a duel between Clint Eastwood and a surly rodent.
This is beautifully written, and not what I was expecting when I opened the page. This poem demonstrates a wonderful and subtle use of metaphor, conveying its message through the description of a scene and the action of characters, requiring some effort by the reader. I especially like the message you convey in the closing lines, capturing the strength of true fatherhood.