On Stasis by Joey Brown
by Ken Hada
Hello: I'm Ken Hada. Today I am reading a poem by Oklahoma poet Joey Brown. The poem is from her 2010 collection titled Oklahomagraphy and is titled Stasis.
Stasis
Crows scatter down
chants and caws,
remind me where I
diverged from the map.
One rides down
to consider me
at close range.
He wallows in the rocks,
kicks loose the renegades
hidden in my garden.
Out spin three
in succession,
each stone just
bigger than the last.
He tucks at wilding feathers
in need of rearranging,
sidesteps within inches of me,
all the while staring west-southwest.
We consider the solidity,
the wear, the rub
of each rock.
We are both thinking
of taking flight.
| Joey Brown, Oklahomaography Mongrel Empire Press, 2010 Used with permission |
The poem is driven by the concept implied in the title, STASIS. There are two possible definitions of the word STASIS that help inform the poem:
1) Stasis may be defined as: a state of equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces.
2) Stasis is also a term used in rhetorical studies, and since the poet is a career-long teacher of writing, I imagine she is also allowing this to inform her poem: In writing studies: STASIS refers to defining a subject by looking at the 1) the facts of the situation 2) the meaning of the issue 3) the quality, the seriousness of the issue and 4) the plan of action
So I think the poem gives us WHAT happens in the encounter with the crow, what it means, this unusual experience, and finally, what is to be done. Certainly, the close observation of the crow leads the speaker of the poem to a introspection, and suggests a possible response – maybe to take flight – as the crow inevitably will do.
The speaker in her garden notices the crow's wallowing the rocks, kicking out hidden rocks, three to be exact, each one bigger than the previous. This activity is accompanied by the crow tucking at his wilding feathers in need of rearranging.
The encounter suggests that the speaker also may be in need of some rearrangement, We notice that the poem moves to the final stanza where the attention moves from observing the crow's activity, to the poet's response. The plural WE begins the last stanza, as the speaker contemplates joining the crow – both considering the solidity, the wear, the rub of each rock. This consideration is followed by the climactic line: "We are both thinking of taking flight"
The activity of the crow with the rocks, may seem unusual, but may the unusualness is the result of not having observed such behavior before. Maybe it is not that uncommon for the crow, but it is a new experience for the poem's speaker. So, the poem rewards the close observation, the close encounter with the crow, and thus, stirs introspection within the speaker. How will she respond?
Will she in fact take flight, as the crow certainly will? Or will the solidity, the rub of the rocks keep her grounded? --- Back to the definitions of STASIS, does the poem finally suggest an equilibrium, a balance, marked by the inability to act, to follow the crow in flight? Is flight really necessary? Is it a real consideration, or is it a moment of common ground with the crow, that results in a moment of clarification for the poem's speaker?
A remarkable poem by Joey Brown from her book: OKLAHOMAGRAPHY.
Thank you for listening to this program. I'm Ken Hada
POETS ON THE PLAINS HOST
Ken Hada is a poet and professor at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma where he has directed the annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival for 20 years. Ken is the author of twelve collections of poetry, including his latest: Visions for the Night (to be released April 3, 2025), and Come Before Winter, from Turning Plow Press. His previous collection, Contour Feathers (Turning Plow Press, 2021) received the Oklahoma Book Award. Other works of his have been awarded by The Western Writers of America, The National Western Heritage Museum, South Central Modern Language Association and The Oklahoma Center for the Book, and featured on "The Writer's Almanac." In addition to his poetry, Ken remains active in scholarship, writing and publishing regularly on regional writing, literary ecology and multicultural literatures. The “Ken Hada Collection” is held at the Western History Collection Library at the University of Oklahoma. Ken Hada: https://kenhada.org/ or khadakhada@gmail.com
FEATURED POET
A writer of poetry and prose, Brown earned a degree in English with a minor in Professional Writing from CU in 1992. She has published two collections of poetry, “Oklahomagraphy” and “The Feral Love Poems,” the latter of which has been described as “masterful portraits of people and places in everyday moments, at their conflicted and laconic best.”
In addition to reading at literary festivals throughout the Midwest and Southwest, Brown is a member of the faculty at Missouri Southern State University, where she teaches professional and creative writing. Her work has appeared in literary journals including Red Earth Review, Concho River Review, The Sea Letter, Langdon Review of the Arts in Texas, Louisiana Review, The Oklahoma Review, Cybersoleil, The Mid-America Poetry Review and San Pedro River Review.
References
POEMS — RHINO — A Girl You Could Get PT. 2 by Joey Brown
https://thesealettercompany.com/2019/11/08/the-fate-of-some-minnows-comanche-lake-c-1977/
