Anniversary (Style)

Style

Free Verse

Harjo’s “Anniversary” is written in a very relaxed, contemporary style of free verse. There is no intentional rhyme or set meter, and there is very little alliteration (like-sounding consonants and vowels placed close together to create a rhythmic sound). One may expect the simplicity of the language to conflict with the complexity of the subject matter, and, yet, just the opposite is true. An attempt to record the creation of the universe and humankind in a twenty-five-line poem seems daunting anyway, but should it not at least require profound descriptions and even esoteric wording to complement the issue? Not necessarily. The simple, direct language actually enhances the idea that this is a celebration poem, not a scientific treatise on the formation of matter and energy. Harjo’s story is uncluttered and natural, innocent in its presentation. She does not avoid the almost childlike depictions of “A little flame,” “something sweet,” “a bird or two,” “The shy fish,” “meals of flying things,” and the final, anticlimactic line, “And it’s been years.” The guileless, unpretentious language discloses the poet’s take on something as huge, complex, and mind-boggling as the origin of life: it can be pondered, appreciated, and enjoyed by everyone on earth, not just astronomers, physicists, and geniuses.

The most visible aspect of the poem’s construction, of course, is the extra spacing between lines, giving it a loose, open feel and perhaps reflecting the unconstrained meandering of the subject. On the other hand, the skipped lines may emulate the poem’s constant shift from one time period to another, one world to another, even one consciousness to another. Whatever Harjo had in mind with its presentation on the page, “Anniversary”looks as clean, clear, and unhindered as the language it contains.