Patrick+Woods+-+Fred+Chappell

“Backward” by Fred Chappell

the deciduous have got it backward all winter they stand around naked then in March the dogwoods put on green vests and the willows slip into filmy negligees

by midsummer every last one heaves beneath a full green topcoat

come October the buckle up in armor plate bronze and gold and vermilion and clatter at one another like first-term presidents rattling sabers

they’re unteachable you can spend lifetimes talking directly inside their heads and nothing just ask the birds about that

so maybe they’re really not intelligent after all What kind of brains can you have eating nothing but air and dirt?

that diet has not made Zimbabwe wiser For my first poem, I chose Fred Chappell’s “Backward,” which he includes in his book //Backsass,// which was published in 2004. This poem really stood out to me because of the underlying theme of the ignorance of politicians, which Chappell inserts within it. Another thing that also caught my attention in this poem was Chappell’s clever use of metaphors and personification to convey his theme. He compares those with political power to deciduous trees, revealing their tendencies to do everything backward. Chappell points out that during the winter season, just as deciduous trees “stand around naked” in the cold, politician let their guard down when they are vulnerable to criticism. Then, in the spring and summer, as the heat begins to arise, deciduous trees cover themselves with “green vests” of leaves. Similarly, politicians put on their defenses during these seasons, when the hostility of politicians goes down. Chappell goes on to demonstrate how the actions of politician mimic the “backward” tendencies of deciduous trees during other seasons of the year. In many of his poems, Chappell writes of his childhood surroundings and compares them to that of the present. He also focuses on the pointing out how the cultural society of his childhood has been corrupted and transformed into a new, corrupted society that is, as his says, “backward.” In this poem, Chappell uses a humorous sarcasm to demonstrate the flaws with the politics of today’s society. Also, the unstable political status of America at the time Chappell wrote this poem in 2004 supports his themes of the ignorance of politicians and the dissipation of old fashion American society. During 2004 the economy was on a downfall and many did not support the policies being created to the government. In this poem, Chappell seems to be calling out to the audience to revive the traditional American culture.

"Narcissu and Echo" by Fred Chappell

Shall the water not remember //Ember// My hand' low gesture, tracing above //of// its merror my half-imaginary //airy// portrait? My only belonging //longing;// is my beauty, which I take //ache// away and then return, as love //of// teasing playfully the one being //unbeing.// whose gratitude I treasure //Is your// moves me. I live apart //heart// from myself, yet cannot //not// live apart. In the water's tone, //stone?// that brilliant silence, a flower //Hour,// whispers my name with such slight //light:// moment it seems filament of air, //fare// the world become cloudwell //well.// Narcissus and Echo" implements a unique style of rhyme that echoes back to each line of the poem. This echoing helps establish and justify the theme of the poem. Chappell exercises the sound element with this unique rhyming style. The poem is about the Greek mythology story about a handsome man named Narcissus who fell in love with his reflection, due to the death of his twin sister, and Echo, a nymph who longs for him even though she was rejected by Narcissus. In the poem, Echo echoes Narcissus’ last word in each line. To credit this theme the poem is written in a way where in each line Narcissus speaks Echo echoes a rhyme of the sound of the last word in each line. These words that Echo echoes back to Narcissus reveal her response to his speech: “Ember of airy longing; ache of unbeing. Is your heart not stone? Hourly, light: farewell.” Echo expresses her longing to be with Narcissus and questions his self-obsession. Chappell also uses rhyme in the poem to help solidify the theme of his poem. The rhyme comes from Echo responding or riming Narcissus' last word's sound. The sound (Narcissus' Speaking) is what justifies Echo's echo in this poem. In the previously stated quote the italics is Echo speaking. She rhymes "water's tone" with "stone" and "slight" with "light." This unique style of rhyming helps the theme, beautifully. It correlates with sound, well. Inclosing, this poem is a mythological story being told in the form of a poem. The unique style of rhyming in the poem, or echoing, helps the theme. Chappell tied Narcissus' speech with Echo's echo to let readers know that there is a conversation. If the last rhyme wasn't present the poem would not have much depth and would be void of the point the theme of the poem. Chappell's poem uses the elements of speaker, sound, and rhyme effectively.

“No, Said St. Peter” by Fred Chappell

jangling his keys you cannot phone your attorney

in fact the sleazy snitch already arrived not two hours ago and first thing he did was to rat you out

we’ve got a separate hell for stoolies called Echo Chamber where their words return to traitors as longtime companions

don’t think that blowing the whistle on your parents will help your case nothing you did was any fault of theirs

so your personal lawyer is not an option but we do provide court appointed in cases of spousal abuse like yours and the firm of Steinem Friedan & de Beauvoir will send someone over and my advice is keep your hands to yourself

This poem of Fred Chappell contains many of the same themes as Chappell’s other poems. It is critical of those who are deceitful and try to take advantage of others. Chappell also demonstrates how people of this character do not go unpunished and will receive the penalty that fits their actions. In “No, Said St. Peter,” he uses a lawyer to represent opportunists who only work to benefit themselves. From the title and the first stanza, the reader can gather that the speaker is St. Peter, who, in this poem, is identified as the gate keeper of Heaven. He is speaking to someone who is being tried for a crime and needs the help of his lawyer. But in the second stanza, St. Peter reveals to the felon that his own lawyer has taken advantage of him by ratting him out for his own benefit. In the third stanza, however, St. Peter explains how acts of betrayal such as this one do not go unpunished and tells the man that his lawyer has been removed from the court. The man is then told that he will receive a court- appointed lawyer to replace his corrupted lawyer. In the final stanza, Chappell adds hints as to what this man is being charged with. He says that this is a “case of spousalabuse.” At the end of the poem St. Peter is telling the man that he will meet his court- appointed lawyer, he warns the man: “Keep your hands to yourself.” This last line suggests that St. Peter believes the man is probably guilty of what he is being charged with.

“New Year’s Day” by Fred Chappell

Cullus woke up with a hangover He recognized as the one from this time last year

Same gloomy expression Baggy-eyed sour of breath And outlook unshaven and unsteady On its pins parched with thirst

Yet there were differences: Now no remorse he could detect And a deeper almost tragic weariness Blasé but wistful around the edges

It has aged a year and that Accounted for most of the changes Though it obviously has grown No wiser with the passage of time

He wondered if it had missed him Absent for twelve whole months And having to cohabit with strangers Just to keep on going

He treated it to four Bayers And a lukewarm beer But it did not respond to hospitality

A jaded thing it was these days Cynical For 365 days in a row Every promise made to it Had been broken

I chose this poem because it goes along with the theme of change within the human race that has existed in all of Fred Chappell’s other poems that I have blogged about. But in “New Year’s Day,” Chappell addresses humanity’s inability to change. To demonstrate this, he uses a character and a failure of a New Year’s resolution. The poem begins with Callus, the character of Chappell’s example, waking up on New Year’s Day after a night of partying, feeling worse than he has ever felt before. The name of the character is the first thing that interested me in this poem. It is ironic that a character who does not seem to work very hard and is too lazy to change himself would be names after something that people get when the do work hard. But I guess this goes along with Chappell’s sarcastic tone that he uses in most of his poems. In the second and third stanzas, Callus realizes that the only thing that has changed is that his New Year’s resolution has aged one more year and had grown to be a much greater task. He then reminisces over the past year, thinking about whether or not his resolution has “missed him at all. He finally renews his resolution by breaking it when he treats himself to a few alcoholic beverages, for his resolution was to quit drinking. This poem clearly demonstrates the difficulties of changing for the human race. Through this poem, Chappell implies that since we cannot make changes to ourselves, we will not be about to make well- needed changes to society.