levelheaded: What The Purists Prefer

In the first line of Jessica Fjeld’s “What the Purists Prefer,” the phrase “easily moved” stands off to the right, separated from the rest of the line by a few extra spaces. While this decision may seem trivial at first, it’s impact on our understanding of the poem is significant. By altering the spacing, the typography embodies the idea that things can change quickly. A blue sky can turn pink, a pink sky can turn dark, a dark sky can turn into a storm. Thinking metaphorically, so it goes with life. Physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, we are “easily moved.”

 
A “kind sky” can turn violent. Making matters even more unsettling, the word “kind”–like all words–can mean (pun intended) something different in another context, like when an “infant invented a new kind of movement.” Language too proves untrustworthy in its elasticity. Notably, being “easily moved” brings us to “movement.” But even movement can’t be interpreted accurately with complete certainty. Sometimes “finesse” and “brute force” look strangely similar. Sometimes things happen “so slowly” that they become indecipherable, as if they had happened swiftly. The infant grows up.

 
When “we” go to watch the crops, it’s like we’re trying to witness such growth in action. Trouble is, the field could be sun scorched or washed out at any moment. We aren’t always gonna get what we ask for. Though we can certainly read this as pessimistic, Fjeld has reminded us throughout the piece that there are two sides to every coin. True, we can’t mandate miracles, but let’s not forget how miraculous that pink sky was when we first saw it. We might not be sure what to call the infant’s new movement, but amazingly, the infant invented a new movement! There’s all kinds of fear that comes with the unknown. There’s also lots of fun.

– The Editors