The primal sound of coyotes in the desert hearkens back to a
primeval time long ago. Feelings of respect and awe for an ancient time,
combined with a suspicion of modernity, are drawn out by Steven L. Peck in his
poem, The Slaying of the Trickster God. He accomplishes this by using form (the
poem is divided into 3 segments-), contrast, and imagery to draw out feelings
of respect for these primal creatures.
In the prologue of the poem, vivid descriptions of celestial
bodies-such as the sun, moon, stars, and universe-are used to introduce a
feeling of eternity and scope. This is a common theme in LDS theology, and is
an underlying current in this work. The ancient world of the “Trickster Gods”,
or coyotes, is portrayed as being encroached upon in the first section of the
poem:
“The other (universe) however
folds in on itself, slowly, a topological twisting, until it engulfs itself and
is gone…the intrusion. The invasion. But who’s to blame?”
Peck’s use of alliteration helps illustrate the imposition
of the reader, and all of humanity, on this ancient world.
The following sections contrast two separate encounters of
coyotes with vehicles, with the end result the same in each-a predictably
mangled coyote. In both situations it is clear that the people involved would
clearly willingly have killed the coyote. However, the tone of the poem conveys
that the people in the first incident had a respect for the coyote, while those
in the second didn’t.
The first incident includes vivid imagery of the landscape
that is home to the coyote, and the final killing of the coyote is merciful, as
it had merely been injured by the car. This is in clear contrast to the second,
irreverent killing, in which a large truck intentionally squelches the creature’s
life. After crushing the coyote, the occupants, John and Mark, celebrated rambunctiously.
Lest the allusion to the New Testament go unnoticed, Peck quips that the John
and Mark in the story were “authors of no gospel.”
Reading this poem brought me in my minds eye to the desert
on a clear summer night, cool with the warm sand, and the Milky Way glistening
in the dark sky. It created a solemn, reverent mood for me, and a frustration
with our society’s focus on lights and the big city.
(388 Words)
(388 Words)
Perhaps we worship the bustle and blinding light because we're afraid of what we'll find in ourselves and each other when we slow down and listen?
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective into the relationship with our society and the divine of nature. You do a great job approaching the theme ethics behind mistreatment of nature and its relation to LDS culture.
ReplyDelete