The poem “While You Were Out” by Robert Wrigley when read for the first time seem inconsequential because of the mundane actions described in the poem in reference to having the bedroom carpet cleaned by a professional cleaner.
Almost at the end of the poem, it takes a curious turn when the reference to the lover’s bra was made and one can feel that there is more to this poem that it appears to be. One has to read the poem over and over to grasp the subtle emotions portrayed in every line of the poem. The poem actually tells of the emotions of the male partner as he deals with the absence of his lover/wife.The first line about living the cleaner alone in the house implies that he is alone and watching the man pour the brackish water from rinsing the carpet meant that he momentarily removed himself from the relationship and was evaluating their present state. The brackish water symbolizes that the relationship had not been all positive and happy as he would have wanted it to be and that it was painful for him to see it this way.
The description of how he removed several pieces of furniture to make room for the cleaner’s work signifies that he is trying to deal with being alone instead of having someone help him with life’s challenges.The lacy bra introduces the lover and it having missed it for it was hanging on the dresser than on the floor shows that the lover is somehow beyond his reach, and the observation that it must have fallen when the cleaner cleaned the problem area tells us that the man blames the lover/wife for their differences and problems within the relationship. Smelling her absence and remembering which strap the lacy bra was hanged on seems to indicate that he had come to terms with his lover/wife’s absence and that he missed her and even if she was changed, he did still love her.Response to The Other World The poem “The Other World” by Robert Wrigley is actually very revealing. He uses the poem to describe the life of a buck but it can also depict the life of a father or the head of a family.
It is curious to note that the poem talks about sacrifice and love and dying in one short poem although it is not evident. The old buck traveled with the does and yearling and fawns in winter. This line tells us that the old buck is the father and he had lived his life with his family and children and saw them grow to adulthood.The old buck hung back shows that the father had tried to let his children and wife become their own persons, he was always there to support and love them. The reference to the old buck eating only what was left and walking where they walked shows us of the sacrifice of the father for providing for his family, by putting his family’s well-being above his own personal desires. Striking pose, meant that the old buck stopped only on guard when he heard noises or saw light in the trees, this indicate that the father was prepared to defend his family when he encounter danger and ill fortune.
The last part of the poem is actually very sad. Here we see that the old buck is now dead, how his mangled ear and twisted leg had been carried out by ants refer to the possibility that the father met his death in an accident or in the act of protecting his family. The travel of the ants describes the fate of the father that upon death all that has been will be reduced into smallness and nothingness. The title the other world actually signifies that upon death, man will travel to another plane of existence that the living is not privy of.
