Self-reflection and Philosophy in The Poems of Robert Gray

Poetry, a language used in various creative elements and forms by distinct poets carries significance in terms of the poet’s ambition, decisions and ambience. The primary objective of poetry is to essentially endow pleasure on an audience or reader. Robert Gray, a contemporary Australian poet exerts a unique sense of purpose and symbolism throughout his poems ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’, ‘Byron Bay: Winter’ and ‘Journey, the North Coast’, through his integration of the philosophies of Dharma, Buddhism, imagism, art influences and universal experiences. Gray’s aspiration involves self-reflection between the reader and the poet, creating imagery to allow the reader to visualize the words in his poems and writing about real life experiences which almost any reader is able to relate to and interpret differently.

‘Flames and Dangling Wire’, composed on the basis of a journey towards an apocalyptic rubbish dump explores the unity of humans with nature and the metaphysics involved in essentially destroying themselves. Ultimately, the message Gray wished to transmit through this poem was the annihilation of mankind's towards nature and the circumstances that this neglect will have on humans. The principle of this is to establish a moment of self-reflection towards the reader by fabricating a theory of equalness through the philosophy of metaphysics and using nature as a force of power. Humans are reliant on nature for the survival of themselves, thus Gray incorporating this theory of human destroying themselves is ironic. Exemplified through “behind us, the city driven like stakes into the Earth, A waterbird lifts above this swamp as a turtle moves on the Galapagos shore”, Gray’s poetic choices involved juxtaposing the city, a manmade entity and the water birds and turtles. Through this distinction upon man made and native objects, Gray evokes a sense of hope procreating the appearance of waterbirds and the turtle as the first stanza generated a murky and murderous atmosphere. ‘Driven like stakes in the earth’ this simile connotates violence and murder. It is suggesting that the city is intruding and assassinating the earth. The insinuation of the ‘Galapagos shore’ is a reminder for the reader that the natural world will perish when it is left alone into nothingness. ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’, is an allurement for the reader to resonate the effects of their concurrence in the metropolitan life. He exaggerates the virtuous clamant to examine their effect on the Earth and spiritual destruction of themselves. Gray reminds the reader that the post-apocalyptic world exhibited in the poem deciphers the uncertainty and wavering of all matter. This concept is demonstrated through the quote “And standing in the mirage of the city, I realize I am in the future. This is how it shall be after men have gone. It will be made of things that worked”. The persona is placed in a situation of reflection and realization that the killing of the earth will eventually leave them will nothingness and isolation, which will eventually kill themselves. The reader is able to recount this sense of isolation and ponder of their own contribution towards society, which is Gray’s ultimate intention. Gray almost threatens the reader with the prophetic word choices in this quote such as ‘shall’, ‘will’. The diction proves that everything will come to an end eventually, however due to the nature of the entire poem including its sinister and eery aura, the reader questions their future and the outcome of it. Gray represents this purpose throughout the poem through the physics behind the nature of atoms and matter. Another important element of humanism is present in ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’, through his effective use of art such as the ‘Raft of Medusa’. “A labourer hoists an unidentifiable mulch on his fork, throws it in the flame: something flaps like the rag held up in ‘The Raft of Medusa’, demonstrates the French shipwreck in 1816. 147 people were set onto a raft and survivors lived off cannibalism, starvation and dehydration. Gericault, the artist, expressed through his painting a paradox about how a hideous subject can be transferred to a powerful painting. He also represents the vain hope of the sailors as salvation is in sight, but unattainable. However, in the context of the poem, humanity is abandoned to its fate. Gray implements the artwork as a visual comparison for the reader to envision in regards to the intensity of the poems setting.

Subsequently, the incentive of imagism is thread into Gray’s poem “Byron Bay: Winter”. The poem is written in the traditional form of the ballad, however it is appropriated with loose rhyme and flow. Gray once said “my poems are about a visual experience becoming a language”. This concept of imagery is present in almost all of his poems through his references to art movements and specific artworks. Grays motive in this poem is to accomplish a maximum of clarity through the imagery he incorporates in his poems. Gray, a liberated artist himself, incorporates the artist Paul Cezanne, a French post- impressionist painter. “Beside me, swamp oaks’ foliage streams hatching by Cezanne out on the health, a guard’s carriage follows the vat of a train”. Notable features of post-impressionist art involves vivid colours, thick paint, a real-life subject matter, use of natural colours and distortion for an expressive effect. Cezanne once quoted “a work of art which did not begin in emotion is not a work of art”. The influence of Romanticism is also very clear in this poem. The extended presence of the persona throughout the poem reminds the reader that the poem is describing his impression and experience of the landscape. “Barely contained by the eyesight”, emphasizes this as he mentions the landscape being subsumed by the eye. The emotional response to the nature is not routinely explicit, but it does pitch in. The concluding epiphany as the person sees the landscape in complete is heavily influenced by romanticism, as connection with God deciphers through appreciation of nature. The concept of this is known as Pantheism which is the clarity that God is found through nature and his creations, not through dharmic detachment. Gray’s ambition is to vividly express and imagist vision for the reader. By describing every moment, colour, visual surrounding the persona, Gray successfully allows the reader to envision the poem. This is heavily influenced by his interest and participation in art and art making. The interconnectedness of nature with itself such as the unity of animals, land, sea, sky which is often set in a limited space further strengthens Gray’s representation of landscape art. Through the description of the nature, Gray exerts the spiritual experience of the self and its relationship with the natural environment surrounding them. Gray’s ulterior motive is essentially that nature offers many opportunities for self-reflection and this is depicted through his artistic influences. As in artworks, the audience is able to lose themselves in an artwork. Gray’s purpose is also for the reader to ‘lose’ themselves in his poetry through his imagery.

In addition, ‘Journey, the North Coast’ is about the persona returning to his home in Coffs Harbour after a year of living in the city. Traditionally, such stories have been an escape from the country to the city, however Gray challenges these expectations as the persona is excited to return to nature. Upon returning home, the poem explores discovery and enlightenment which correlates with Gray’s inspiration of Zen Buddhism. Gray interprets this through the imagery of light and colour. ‘Journey, the North Coast’, the title itself even sets an atmosphere of adventure. “Next thing, I wake-up in a swaying bunk”, the poetic choice of first person allows the reader to connect with the persona and envision what they are doing and thinking. The effect of it is to create an intimate relationship with the reader. ‘Next thing’ links attention to the transition of the persona which regurgitates the urgency in the atmosphere. “As if on board a clipper clambering at sea” simile and enjambment enforces the recurrence of alliteration highlighting the pulse of the train. The word choice of ‘clambering’ reveals the desperation of the clipper on the sea, which is contradicting the normal relationship between a boat and the sea as a boat steadily and freely sails into the sea. Grays choice of word makes the reader ponder as to what the ship is clambering onto and for what reason. “And it’s the train that booms and cracks, it tears the wind apart”. Onomatopoeia signifies the sensory aspect of the transition from the city to the natural. Conveying a clear mental image of the persona’s temporary stay. Through Gray’s choice of beginning the line with enjambment and conjunction, it highlights the persona’s abrupt transition of his journey. It also allows the reader to rediscover their prompt and transmuting experiences. The poem also represents the Gray’s personal struggle to abolish his past memories and self and to accomplish a sense of ‘detachment’. Through representing an aspect of Buddhism which is focusing on what transition is, the reader is able to assess the different stages of importance involving travelling. Gray’s motive in expressing Buddhism throughout his poetry is to intimately create a connection with the reader by allowing them to envision real life experiences as demonstrated in Journey, the North Coast. Although the setting and actual experience occurred in Australia, Coffs Harbour, the reader and a wide range of audiences from different backgrounds that travel are able to relate to Gray’s poetry through his personal and universal experiences that other audiences can relate to. Another aspect of the poem that a wide range of audiences can relate involves when the persona is looking out the window, providing a range of still images. The pace of the train whizzing creates an effect similar to the shutter of a camera. The precision in these minute details is reflective of the persona’s desire to absorb the landscape entirely which he admires in a moment of nostalgia. In Journey, the North Coast, the reader is reading the words of the poem, however does not tend to notice the poet and tends to lose themselves which establishes a sense of self- transcendent nothingness.

Thus, on concluding the essay, Gray portrays pieces of himself in his poetry such as ‘Flames and Dangling Wire’, ‘Byron Bay: Winter’ and ‘Journey, the North Coast’. These aspects include his interest in art, Buddhism, dharmic detachment and imagism. He represents these elements through his creation of universal experiences, detailed and expanded visual imagery and his overall message of self-reflection which is always hidden somewhere in his poems. Gray’s distinct poetry leaves a long lasting effect on the reader in the self-reflection that is evident in his poetry. By sharing his personal experiences in regards to the world surrounding him, the reader is also able to relate to his poetry as the experiences are mostly universal.