"Woodwork"

I believe there are certain dangerous elements to responding without a prompt, especially when the response will be on your professor’s own poem. But I live in Utah County so I think to myself, where else am I going find a constructive danger, but in my literature class. One of the elements is the need not to misinterpret, or offend the poet. I have found that I have a certain knack for offending people. I’m not ashamed to say I’m quite talented at it, but I was always taught that you should explore your talents, take them to great heights, so here I go.
My first impressions of “Woodwork” came to me through the senses: smells, sounds, and sights, and I felt that the poem was about the essence that certain people leave on us. The first stanza says “…the outline of my father stayed pressed in his bed” this in my opinion gives the feeling of the deep impact that this man had not only on his son, but his whole environment. For me it also took on literal elements, because I have worked with people who have had strokes and there is a heaviness that is like nothing I have lifted. A deep impression, even in the bed gives a very real feeling to the poem. There is a haunting feel to the first part of the poem, especially with lines like “ I waited for him to leave me as he always did” this gives me a view of anger, and hurt because people are found saying “ you always” or “ you never” when their hurt or angry and they have to find someone to blame for their feelings, but it seems that even through the anger the dad and his presence doesn’t seem to be leaving “Outside, his face ghosted in his Coleman lantern as he walked to the woodshed” This part of the poem gives me a view that there is some sort of unfinished business, some work that needs to be done. This part also gives a feeling of yearning for the time when son and father were able to work side by side. The second part of the poem, gives some resolved feelings, the hurt isn’t as sharp. With lines like “I save the color, scent, and shade--- what remains to be carved” it gives me a feel that there is still work to be done, but that now the tables have turned. Instead of a son helping a father with his creations, a father is now helping a son with his creations.