Mowing

“Mowing” was published in Ada Limón’s fourth book of poems, Bright Dead Things (Milkweed Editions, 2015), which was nominated for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The poem is set in a rural environment in which a speaker observes a man mowing circles around the items of his tree farm as she meditates on how she would like to “disappear” (Line 10) but not in a sad way. She realizes how difficult it is to be human and to stop wanting so many things and “let / the savage grass grow” (Lines 14-15).

Ada Limón was named Poet Laureate of the United States in 2022. Her poetry is known for its vulnerability, wit, and exploration of the way human beings interact with the natural world. “Mowing,” and much of Limón’s work, uses the themes of Romantic poets such as Wordsworth and Whitman, while also weaving in her own distinctly feminist voice. Many of her pieces consider the personal strength of women, often using animals as metaphors for female empowerment. Limón’s work falls in the category of Eco-feminist poetry, championing a more “feminine” and wholistic approach to human relationships with the natural world.