A Poem for living: The Layers by Stanley Kunitz
The thoughtful facilitator of our poetry group recently introduced us to Stanley Kunitz. I was grateful for his choice and the opportunity to meet such a profound poet. Our experience with the poet was enhanced by listening to him read his works. The combination of Kunitz’s energetic elderly voice, with its inflections and pauses, along with the imagery of the words made for an insightful discussion.
Personally, I was intrigued by what the poet had to say about aging, and how each poem brought clarity to the other. The metaphor of the salmon, found in “The King of the River,” struck a chord with me since I am now beginning to swim upstream in the later years of my life. The salmon, in the last moments of his life, fulfills his ultimate purpose as he fades away only to be transformed into something more. I love the conclusion of
the poem and hope my ending reality can be like that of the salmon:
He is not broken but endures,
limber and firm
in the state of his shining,
forever inheriting his salt kingdom,
from which he is banished forever.
The poem, “The Layers”, offered me a measure of wisdom and perspective through the poet’s description of facing limitations and difficulties while aging. With these poems both having been written when the poet was in his early 70’s, his commitment to “go wherever he needed to go” and to affirm he was “not done with his changes” were beautiful attitudes of openness and resolve. Kunitz’s road was to find his way forward not by focusing on life’s “ruins” but considering its “layers”. This attitude stands in contrast to the way many live, content with small, fixed, static worlds. Perhaps, if I were younger, these poems might feel a bit distant. However,
being in my early 70’s, the images of the salmon and of geological layers offer powerful metaphors for this present journey into aging.
I so appreciate not being alone in this desire. Looking around at the faces in the Zoom call, I felt deeply grateful to be a part of a community that pursues authentically living with a spirit of openness and resolve. Taking the time to read as well as listening to and reflecting on these poems will only serve to enhance your experience.
Audio: King of the River https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDffHnNwJmU
The Layers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk6xW41EFoA
Craig Charnley, December, 2025
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