Of Mere Being

The palm at the end of the mind,
Beyond the last thought, rises
In the bronze distance.
A gold-feathered bird
Sings in the palm, without human meaning,
Without human feeling, a foreign song.
You know then that it is not the reason
That makes us happy or unhappy.
The bird sings. Its feathers shine.
The palm stands on the edge of space.
The wind moves slowly in the branches.
The bird’s fire-fangled feathers dangle down.

~Wallace Stevens, 1954~

This poem is saying that everything just is. The poet is saying that even though the bird singing might make us feel happy or unhappy that the song itself is not happy or unhappy is merely is. The poem goes onto list things that just are: the bird just sings, the birds feathers just shine,  the winds moves the branches. These things are without human meaning. He is saying that just because we give them meaning in our heads does not mean that they actually have meaning.The bird singing has no meaning until people give it meaning.  The bird's feathers are not shining because that makes people happy they just are shining. If the shining held no meaning for us the feathers would still shine no matter what. They do not shine because of us or for us they just shine. I think the poet is making a comment on how people read to deep into things we, as people, give meaning to meaningless things. Such as the song of the bird. It is all in our head that things give meaning and sometimes we need to stop. I think this poem is similar to "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins in that respect. Both poems are talking about looking into things to much " They begin beating it with a hose to find out what is really means." Both poems are saying that sometimes it is okay for something to just be without human meaning.