Essay About Review Of Baby Disaster And Creeleys Poems

Review Of Baby Disaster By Robert Creeley
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Creeleys poems arent just words, even though thats how they can
appear. His lyrics represent so much more then a single glance can justify.
“Baby Disaster” has many elements that Creeley is known for, but it is a
quite unconventional poem for him in other ways. “Baby Disaster” is written
for the two children he had with his second wife, Penelope Highton. The
poem was written in 1984, and his children were born in 1978 and 1980.
Its apparent that Creeley was thinking about the impact his children
have on his life, how much his life has changed since they became a part of
it, and how different it will be in the future when theyre grown up. He
refers to this confusion as, “Blurred headlights of the cars out there/ war
of the worlds or something” (lines 1-2). The blurred headlights represent
the confusion that his world was thrown into because of his children. He no
longer sees everything as clearly; he didnt know what to do or where to
go. His old life is coming to an end, thus the reference to war of the
worlds, an alien invasion of Earth. To him, his children are like aliens;
theyve invaded his peaceful and quiet life and ended all that he once
knew.
Creeleys life is now in chaos. He doesnt know left from right or up
from down. He feels lost and alone and is scared that theres no one there
to help him pick up the fallen pieces of his life: “Ideas of it all like
dropped change/ trying to find it on the sidewalk at night” (lines 3-4).
The dropped change represents his life, which has fallen to pieces.
Creeleys life is in disarray, the world is dark, and there is no one to
help him pick the pieces up. He feels helpless like we feel helpless when
disaster strikes close to home, how any American felt immediately after
9/11.
In the second stanza of the poem, Creeley leaps forward in time. Hes
beginning to imagine his life when his children have grown up and moved
out, “Nothing doing anymore, grown up, moved out/piddling littles going to
come of it” (lines 5-6). His kids have grown up and his chaotic life now
seems mundane and slow; in addition, they no longer live with him and
Penelope. Although they are his own flesh and blood, he doesnt think very
highly of them. He loves them and wants the best for them, but he wishes he
didnt have them in the first place. He didnt want to have kids so late in
life. He was in his fifties when he had his first kid. Not only was he not
prepared for the responsibility which they demand, but he really doesnt
think theyll be worth it. Hes not excited about them being born, yet he
knows that its going to be depressing to see them go because of how
attached he will become to them.
I wouldnt go as far to say that Robert Creeley is a cheap bast**d,
but I would say that he wants to spend his money on himself and his wife.
“All you put in the bank or spent/ you didnt want to, wanted to keep it
all,” (lines 7-8). He obviously cares for his children; otherwise he
wouldnt do these things that he doesnt want to do. But like most other
men he would rather keep