"Maverick" a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates, or an unbranded calf. A synonym for "maverick" is a non-conformist, a loner. I found these definitions in dictionary.com. But who is the maverick? Is it the speaker / visitor or the good ole boys (and gals) of the southwest who are in the bar. The more I look into the particular words Synder uses the more intrigued I am by the poem. Two cowboys did 'horseplay' (rowdy or rough play). The imagery created for me is that of a wood plank floor with sawdust strewn around. There are red and white checked tablecloths on the tables and the men are wearing cowboy hats and the women are wearing denim, either skirts or blue jeans.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Who's the Maverick?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well, yes, I think we want to see the name of the bar as ironic, here--normally, we think of "cowboys" et al as "mavericks," but in the poem the bar is more a microcosm for un-selfaware, "stupid" America (as I discuss on another blog)--though I think you could make a case for the speaker as the "real" maverick, here, is as much the "real work" is work outside the accepted social norms/concerns... the real work of tracing out the interdependence/interconnection/interpenetration of all.. . Snyder's Zen mindset important, here--and the real work--the work of ecology, and of ecology/Zen-minded poetry/imagination--clarified in other poems noted ("Riprap," "Mid-August...", "Milton by Firelight," etc).
ReplyDelete