Pastoral in the Back Yard

The pastoral poem describes an idealized rural landscape, often from the point of view of a nostalgic urban poet. The name derives from pastor, Latin for shepherd, and traditional pastorals often depict herdsmen singing to each other or an ancient beloved in the vernacular particular to the place. Shaped by mythological and performance traditions, pastorals define the relationship of the speaker to the landscape, but also to the inhabitants of that landscape. Many contemporary pastorals investigate power dynamics, status differences, and the hierarchies of classification.

Prompt:

Time yourself as you write in some way (with a timer, the length of a song, or the length of a page). Write for roughly 10 minutes in response to the following prompt. Try to write for the whole time, without stopping, in sentences, with no line breaks. Work to get all of your thoughts on the page, without worrying about what you are writing, or how. It is encouraged to follow wherever your mind leads.

Go to a place where you can encounter nature. This can be a socially-distant walk, or your backyard, herbs growing in your kitchen, or the view out the window. For a full eight minutes, write down everything you can about that piece of nature. Stay objective and physical. Use all of your senses. Be as specific as possible.

For the last two minutes, address your relationship to nature in this moment. How do you interact with nature here? What are your thoughts, feelings, questions? Who or what shaped or shapes this landscape?

Pastorals to Read

• Bei Dao, “Pastoral”
• Rita Dove, “Reverie in Open Air”
• Robert Hass, “Meditation at Lagunitas”
• Brigit Pegeen Kelly, “Napa Valley”
• Stacey Szymaszek, “from Hyperglossia [my pastoral . . .]”
• James Tate, “The Definition of Gardening”
• Marcus Wicker, “Bay Window Lauds”

Questions to consider, in writing, or in discussion with others:

• What landscapes do each of these poets describe?
• What kinds of information and detail is included? What is excluded?
• Who or what else appears in the poem? What are they doing?
• What kind of language does the speaker use? Do you have a sense of what they sound like when they speak?
• What is the speaker’s relationship to the natural landscape?

Writing Assignment:
Write a pastoral that explores your relationship with the natural landscape. Write using the voice you would use to speak to a family member or neighbor. If you want, describe and address the power dynamics that shape this landscape.