"Choices" For Us All

Surprisingly enough I liked this poem (and it is not because of how short it is). Gallagher gives an ordinary nest a whole new meaning. Actually, I think this poem is very similar to "The Red Wheelbarrow" by Williams, they both focus on one object and learn to appreciate it. In "Choices", the speaker prepares him/herself to cut saplings so that they can get a good view of the mountain in the background. But the speaker discovers a nest, has a change of heart, and cuts only to reveal all the other hidden nest's. 

The meaning/message I got from this poem was..sometimes what your looking for is right under your nose. Or better yet, sometimes we're to busy looking at the entire picture or attempting to find its meaning quickly, when what makes the subject beautiful are the things we immediately figure are minute tools used to occupy space. Or, taking the poem in a literal and geographical sense, we sometimes look too far ahead and forget about what is going on right in front of us, we forget about the present. We are constantly bombarded with worrisome news, telling us to prepare for "this", do this now so you won't have to later, start saving money for retirement, in 2 years you will be..., if you do "this" now, you will be done in 5 years,  etc. etc. Another concept is enjoying what you have... forget about changing  or getting new things, appreciate what you already have and be grateful for it rather than discarding it like an old twig. 

Look!...A Red Wheelbarrow

Unlike any other poems we have read in class, this one is substantially shorter. William's..."ode" to the red wheelbarrow is so short, it almost forces us to make our own idea of it.

When reading this, I feel like the speaker is admiring the wheelbarrow, and understands its existence. The speaker, it seems, feels for it. He/she sees it "glazed", and believes "so much depends/upon/ a red wheelbarrow". Almost as if he/she believes the owners are ungrateful, and do not realize the wheelbarrow's potential and/or its pivotal mark on their lives.

Today, society is very impatient, apathetic and ungrateful. We have devices that give us contact with the entire planet, machines that get us from here to there, devices that fill moments in our life with beautiful sounds, devices that can give us physical images of a moment in time...these things have grown to be simple conventions. Williams, I think, only tried to get us to understand how beautiful this world can be, we just have to observe it is all.

Anything you have grown to get use to? Not realizing how unbelievable it was when you first experienced it? (i.e. airplanes! Floating in air while sitting on the loo!...c'mon!)