Original Poem：
<Field
The wind sprays pale dirt into my mouth
The small, almost invisible scars
On my hands.
The pores in my throat and elbows
Have taken in a seed of dirt of their own.
After a day in the grape fields near Rolinda
A fine silt, washed by sweat,
Has settled into the lines
On my wrists and palms.
Already I am becoming the valley,
A soil that sprouts nothing.
For any of us.
Wind
A dry wind over the valley
Peeled mountains, grain by grain,
To small slopes, loose dirt
Where red ants tunnel.
The wind strokes
The skulls and spines of cattle
To white dust, to nothing,
Covers the spiked tracks of beetles,
Of tumbleweed, of sparrows
That pecked the ground for insects.
Evenings, when I am in the yard weeding,
The wind picks up the breath of my armpits
Like dust, swirls it
Miles away
And drops it
On the ear of a rabid dog,
And I take on another life.
Wind
When you got up this morning the sun
Blazed an hour in the sky,
A lizard hid
Under the curled leaves of manzanita
And winked its dark lids.
Later, the sky grayed,
And the cold wind you breathed
Was moving under your skin and already far
From the small hives of your lungs.
Stars
At dusk the first stars appear.
Not one eager finger points toward them.
A little later the stars spread with the night
And an orange moon rises
To lead them, like a shepherd, toward dawn.
Sun
In June the sun is a bonnet of light
Coming up,
Little by little,
From behind a skyline of pine.
The pastures sway with fiddle-neck,
Tassels of foxtail.
At Piedra
A couple fish on the river’s edge,
Their shadows deep against the water.
Above, in the stubbled slopes,
Cows climb down
As the heat rises
In a mist of blond locusts,
Returning to the valley.
Rain
When autumn rains flatten sycamore leaves,
The tiny volcanos of dirt
Ants raised around their holes,
I should be out of work.
My silverware and stack of plates will go unused
Like the old, my two good slacks
Will smother under a growth of lint
And smell of the old dust
That rises
When the closet door opens or closes.
The skin of my belly will tighten like a belt
And there will be no reason for pockets.
Harvest
East of the sun’s slant, in the vineyard that never failed,
A wind crossed my face, moving the dust
And a portion of my voice a step closer to a new year.
The sky went black in the ninth hour of rolling trays,
And in the distance ropes of rain dropped to pull me
From the thick harvest that was not mine.
Fog
If you go to your window
You will notice a fog drifting in.
The sun is no stronger than a flashlight.
Not all the sweaters
Hung in closets all summer
Could soak up this mist. The fog:
A mouth nibbling everything to its origin,
Pomegranate trees, stolen bicycles,
The string of lights at a used-car lot,
A Pontiac with scorched valves.
In Fresno the fog is passing
The young thief prying a window screen,
Graying my hair that falls
And goes unfound, my fingerprints
Slowly growing a fur of dust—
One hundred years from now
There should be no reason to believe
I lived.
Daybreak
In this moment when the light starts up
In the east and rubs
The horizon until it catches fire,
We enter the fields to hoe,
Row after row, among the small flags of onion,
Waving off the dragonflies
That ladder the air.
And tears the onions raise
Do not begin in your eyes but in ours,
In the salt blown
From one blister into another;
They begin in knowing
You will never waken to bear
The hour timed to a heart beat,
The wind pressing us closer to the ground.
When the season ends,
And the onions are unplugged from their sleep,
We won’t forget what you failed to see,
And nothing will heal
Under the rain’s broken fingers.>
Analysis and Interpretation of the Poem
This poem vividly captures the intimate relationship between a person and the natural world, particularly the agricultural landscape of a valley. The imagery is rich and sensory, evoking the dust, wind, sun, rain, and stars that shape the environment and the speaker’s experience within it. The poem explores themes of connection, transformation, and the passage of time through the cycles of nature and labor.
The speaker describes how the wind sprays dirt into their mouth and how the scars and pores on their body absorb the earth, symbolizing a deep physical and spiritual bond with the land. The valley is portrayed as a place of both life and barrenness, a soil that "sprouts nothing," suggesting a harsh reality for those who work it. The wind is a persistent force that shapes the landscape and the beings within it, from cattle bones to insects and even the speaker’s own breath, which the wind carries away.
The poem moves through different natural elements—stars, sun, rain, fog, and daybreak—each marking a moment in the cycle of life and work. The stars and moon guide the night, the sun brings light and warmth, the rain signals change, and the fog obscures and erases traces of existence. The final stanza poignantly reflects on the labor of harvesting onions, the tears it causes, and the unfulfilled presence of someone who will never witness the fruits of this work.
Creative Background and Author Introduction
This poem likely originates from a context deeply rooted in agricultural life, possibly inspired by the experiences of farmworkers or those living in rural valleys. The author uses vivid natural imagery and sensory detail to evoke the physical and emotional realities of working the land.
The poet may be someone who has firsthand knowledge of agricultural labor or who empathizes strongly with the struggles and resilience of rural communities. The poem’s tone is both reflective and somber, capturing the beauty and hardship of a life intertwined with nature.
Personal Reflection
Reading this poem invites us to appreciate the quiet, often overlooked aspects of rural labor and the natural world. It reminds us that the land is not just a backdrop but an active participant in human life, shaping identities and histories. The poem’s blending of physical sensations and emotional depth encourages empathy for those who live close to the earth and face its challenges daily.
Educational Insights and Learning Points
Students and children can learn several important lessons from this poem:
- Sensory Imagery and Description: The poem is rich in sensory details—touch, sight, smell, and even taste—which can help students understand how to create vivid imagery in their own writing.
- Themes of Nature and Labor: It introduces concepts of human connection to nature, the cycles of seasons, and the reality of agricultural work.
- Symbolism and Metaphor: The poem uses symbols like wind, dust, and stars to convey deeper meanings about life, time, and existence.
- Emotional Expression: It shows how poetry can express complex emotions such as weariness, hope, and loss.
Practical Applications in Life and Learning
- Environmental Awareness: Students can relate the poem’s themes to lessons about ecology and the importance of caring for the environment.
- Cultural Understanding: The poem offers insight into rural and farming life, fostering respect and understanding for different lifestyles.
- Writing Skills: Learners can practice writing descriptive passages or poems inspired by nature and personal experience.
- Empathy Development: Discussing the poem can help students develop empathy for workers and communities connected to the land.
Reading Comprehension Exercises
- What natural elements are described in the poem? List at least four.
- How does the speaker describe their physical connection to the land?
- What role does the wind play in the poem?
- How are the stars and moon portrayed in the poem?
- What emotions does the poem evoke about working in the fields?
- What does the poem suggest about the passage of time and memory?
- Why do you think the speaker says, "Already I am becoming the valley"?
- How does the poem describe the effect of rain and fog on the environment?
- What is the significance of the "tears the onions raise"?
- How does the poem end, and what feeling does this conclusion leave you with?
Answers
- Wind, dirt, sun, stars, rain, fog, river, moon.
- The speaker’s body absorbs dirt and dust; scars and pores hold the earth, showing a deep physical bond.
- The wind shapes the landscape, carries breath and dust, and symbolizes change and movement.
- The stars appear quietly at dusk, spreading with the night; the orange moon leads them like a shepherd.
- The poem evokes feelings of weariness, connection, and a quiet sadness about the hard labor.
- It suggests that time passes through natural cycles and that memory may fade, but the land remains.
- It means the speaker is becoming part of the land, shaped and marked by it, almost indistinguishable from it.
- Rain flattens leaves and signals an end to work; fog obscures and erases details, symbolizing forgetfulness or loss.
- The tears are caused by the onions but also represent shared pain and labor among workers.
- The poem ends with a somber reflection on loss and the unhealed wounds under the rain, leaving a feeling of melancholy and remembrance.
This poem offers a profound exploration of nature, labor, and human endurance, making it a valuable resource for students to deepen their understanding of poetry, environment, and empathy.
