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“At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border” by William Stafford
This is the field where the battle did not happen,
where the unknown soldier did not die.
This is the field where grass joined hands,
where no monument stands,
and the only heroic thing is the sky.
Birds fly here without any sound,
unfolding their wings across the open.
No people killed - or were killed - on this ground
hallowed by neglect and an air so tame
that people celebrate it by forgetting its name.
(From The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems by William Stafford)
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Keywords: literature, poem, poetry |  |
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Soul searching
Nice, Mr. Key. The longest un-defended border in the world. Always overlooked. Mostly taken for granted. Like the poem itself (nary a comment yet).
Think about all the discourse during the GOP debate last night on our other problem borders and foreign relations, namely our southern border. The Northern border is a quiet treasure, for both countries.
The poem makes me recall a time back in the late 70s or early 80s while hitchhiking across the country. I got picked up by some college kids in a pick-up. We were driving dirt roads late at night in North Dakota and southern Saskatchewan, trying to find this geology camp where they had friends working. We were lost, and honestly we weren’t sure which country we were in, drifting along peacefully in a place “where grass joined hands”.
“taken for granted. Like the poem itself (nary a comment yet).”
I’d like to think of it as respectfully neglected {:~)
touche, SG! A round of ripe bananas for all, on me.
The poem is a bit hard for me to take because of the underlying worldview of the poet. Stafford was a pacifist, and the meta-message of the poem seems to be that war should be avoided at all costs. It seems to be propaganda directed toward those who think that war is bad but sometimes necessary. It ignores the fact that very few people are actually pro-war; most people are anti-war but willing to fight for certain causes.
I didn’t know that about Stafford, Kyle. I was thinking of it more along the lines of celebrating the common everyday blessings of life when nothing spectacular seems to be happening.
KYLE A,
I agree with PAULINE. You seem to be worldviewing the poem to death. Stafford’s position on war does inform the poem, absolutely, but the poem is about so much more.
Allright Harrison. I have trashed your poems in the past and posted those I liked better. I LIKE THIS POEM!!!
I like the poem too Kim. It has nothing to do with pacifism. It has to do with two similar cultures, of two prosperous nations which have mutual respect for each other. Some Canadians do come to the US in search of fame & fortune. I’m thinking of Hank Snow. HRW may know of some more. They are welcome because they don’t cause cultural disruption.
Chas — many Canadians have made Hollywood their home but the traffic goes both ways. Artists and enterpreneurs tend to go south. Teachers, professors, activits, researchers etc tend to go north. Some of my teaching collegues are American as are many of the professors at the local university including many in the health and science fields.
The uniqueness of the border is often forgotten and should be remembered more as an alternative to the border disputes and wars elsewhere.
The poem probably is about pacifism to some extent — it does come from the man who quietly spent WWII doing forestry work in Civilian Public Service camps as a conscientious objector. It’s just that pacifism isn’t all the poem’s about. But as a good poem it is (as HSK notes) about so much more. Stafford wrote only a few ham-handedly political poems, and this isn’t one of them.
For some reason, when I read this I’m reminded of a 1st grader’s disappointment and chagrin at learning “America the Beautiful” was not in fact our national anthem.
America! America! God shed his grace on thee, till selfish gain no longer stain the banner of the free! seemed so much more worth celebrating than a flag that survived a battle. Guess I never quite grew up.
HRW - 9
Your ‘cheerleading for Canada’ is showing many frayed edges. Certainly you can see this for yourself, or should we point it out to you.
Can you name 300 TOP professors, doctors or teachers (IN GOOD STANDING WITHIN THE US) who have decided to migrate to Canada in the past year?
Remember HRW they must be IN GOOD STANDING, …. many leave who have NO right to teach, practice medicine, or be part of our University program. They lost that right due to negligence, etc.
Well Victoria you certainly lost the message of the poem. And how am I supposed to name 300 since recording someone’s ethnicity, nationality, or race is not publicly listed in Canada?
Chas mentioned people who move to the US to seek fame and fortune and he is right; many artist/entertainers and enterpreneurs move to the US since there are more opportunities for them but I couldn’t name 300 of them nor could Chas.
In return many professionals move north usually out political inclination or marriage; I work with three, I was taught by several in high school and university, I have seen several American medical professionals (many were tired of the paperwork in the US) and the local university has hired researchers and teachers from the US as part of a mass hiring binge. Greenpeace and the Sea Shepards were founded by American immigrants. Of course this is not 300, provides no names and has no record of their good standing but as I said that’s no part of the public record and impossible to locate. I suggest you asked Chas to provide similar evidence for his assertion.
Thank you HRW and Chas for your clear depiction of what is nice about the poem and the border.
HRW may be correct, for all I know. I can only think of Hank Snow and the sexy woman who was on that beach TV program. But I’m sure the traffic is both ways. I think my Mercury is a foreigh made car. Windsor, Onterio. That border isn’t the same in my mind somehow. There is obviously more money for acting talent in the US. Olivia Newton John is Australian. She also came here.
The mercury grand marquis is made in St. Thomas just outside of Windsor — I have a cousin who works there. They built exclusively for police. Chrylser has a plant in Windsor. At one time it was fairly common for people to live in Windsor and work in Detroit but I’m not sure if the US border patrol likes this idea anymore.
How could you forget Celine Dion and Pamela Anderson??
Since they changed the rules for landed immigrants in Canada, the border has actually been a real border for me. My procrastinating wife has yet to acquire citzenship and Poles are now required to obtain single entry visas for each trip. Some much for ski trips to upstate New York and Vermont.