3 Must-Read Hayden Carruth Poems

Hayden Carruth (1921-2008) was an American poet, literary critic, and anthologist known for his wide-ranging work and lifelong engagement with tradition. He won the National Book Award in 1996 and was recognized as an important proponent of twentieth-century modernism.

Carruth’s poetry, characterized by controlled language and a blend of form and emotion, received critical acclaim, although opinions on his work varied. He also wrote essays, reviews, a novel, and edited anthologies. Carruth’s poems often explored rural poverty, rural life in Vermont, and themes of loneliness, madness, and death.

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The Hyacinth Garden in Brooklyn

Carruth’s ‘The Hyacinth Garden in Brooklyn’ juxtaposes fragrant beauty with Hyacinthus’s tragic fate, evoking mortality’s intertwining with nature, myth, and memory.

This poem provides a glimpse into Hayden Carruth's poetic style and thematic concerns, particularly his exploration of nature, memory, and the interplay between the personal and the mythological. However, Carruth's body of work is diverse and covers a wide range of themes and styles. While this poem captures certain aspects of his writing, it may not fully encompass the entirety of his poetic expression. To gain a comprehensive understanding of Carruth's work, exploring a variety of his poems would be recommended.

A year ago friends

took me walking

on the esplanade

in Brooklyn. I've

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Notes on Poverty

‘Notes on Poverty’ by Hayden Carruth is a short poem summarizing the meaning of poverty in one experience.

Hayden Carruth wrote 'Notes on Poverty' to recount his early days living in poverty. The poem is autobiographical and remains part of Carruth's collection, "Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey." The poem is a good example of his verse and his interest in engaging with themes of struggle, poverty, and day-to-day life.

Was I so poor

in those damned days

that I went in the dark

in torn shoes

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August 1945

‘August 1945’ by Hayden Carruth takes the reader into a scene at the end of World War 2, as four soldiers come to terms with their experiences.

While this poem does not seem to be based on any real experiences of Carruth's - he was at university for most of World War 2 - the free verse style of the poem reflects the way in which Carruth's writing was influenced by Jazz music, with a freeform style and lack of adherence to rules.

Sweating and greasy in the dovecote where one of them lived

four young men drank "buzzy" from canteen cups, the drink

made from warm beer mixed half-and-half with colorless Italian

distilled alcohol. A strange fierce taste like bees in the mouth.

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3 Must-Read Hayden Carruth Poems

The Hyacinth Garden in Brooklyn

Notes on Poverty

August 1945

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