A Few Thoughts on Jack Gilbert

I have enjoyed Refusing Heaven tremendously. Not since my introduction to E.E. Cummings have I come across a poet with whom I sense an affinity. One of the aspects of his work that attracts me is the minimal language that he uses (the poem “The Reinvention of Happiness” is only four lines). I think this lends itself to my feeling that his work (at least in this anthology) is “gut” poetry, so to speak. There is a tremendous amount of emotion and feeling expressed in his work. As mentioned briefly in my poetry class, some poets favor a longer discourse to convey their intent. I prefer the shorter endeavors.

In an introduction to the book Demian by Herman Hesse, Thomas Mann wrote “…it is often books of small size that exert the greatest dynamic power…” I think the sentiment that Mann wrote of novels can apply to poetry as well. I tend to think it easy for writers of any genre to become zealous, lexically speaking, in their creative vision. Words carry a tremendous amount of impact, and by adding words, it may be thought, increases that influence even more. However, I think that by limiting the amount of words one uses, they become more rare and, thusly, more resonant.

One of the most alluring poems in Gilbert’s book is “By Small And Small: Midnight to Four A.M.” Consisting of only nine lines and colloquial diction Gilbert removes any unnecessary layers and immediately arrives to the core of the poem: his regret for not embracing, who I assume to be, his wife as she lay dying in a hospital bed amidst hospital equipment. Without the use of metaphors, similes, or any other poetic tact, Gilbert evokes tangible emotion within the reader; he evokes their humanity. I prefer this route instead of a lavish attempt at poetic sensibility. Trim the fat and get to the good stuff.