William Staffords Things We Did That Meant Something

Ana Alexander

Things We Did That Meant Something by William Stafford aligns with poetry typical
of Staffords work. Stafford includes imagery involving nature, which he connects to a greater
meaning by the end of the poem. Stafford also leaves the ending slightly ambiguous, leaving the
reader with questions at the end of the poem.
Stafford places the poem in Part Two of the book, titled Before the Big Storm. It is the
second poem in the section. The first draft was written on December 29th, 1956. The second draft
does not include a date, but the documentary copy was written sometime in February of 1957. It
is possible that Stafford had more drafts of the poems that are inaccessible from the archives
its very likely that there is another draft of the poem out there, especially considering that none
of the drafts on the archives include any of the reading dates. Unless Stafford never read the
poem at one of his readings, it seems highly likely, considering Staffords affinity for taking
meticulously organized notes about his poems, that there is a draft somewhere out there that
includes reading dates and additional places Stafford submitted the poem to. However, we do
know that the final version of the poem was published in Traveling Through the Dark in 1962.
According to the documentary copy, Stafford submitted the poem to Poetry magazine in
May of 1957, and it was published in the edition released in January of 1958.
The poems organization also changes throughout the drafts. In the first draft, it appears
that he has chosen to split the poem into two stanzas, but by the second draft there are three. The
first stanza is a description of his memory and how winter color -- / husk or stalk, a sunlight
touch, / maybe a wasp nest in the brush bring up the memory of hitting the wasp nest (3-6).

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Once he establishes that he is recalling a memory, he moves on to the second stanza, where he
describes what happened, and how the wasps stung him as their vehement response (11). After
describing how the wasps stung him, he mentions a thought that is patrolling [his] head with its
thought like a moth (12). This moves the reader to the third stanza, comprised entirely of a
quote that is the thought Stafford cannot shake in the poem.
Stafford begins the poem in the conscious mind by describing his surroundings, moves
towards a memory drawn up by the unconscious mind, and then returns the reader to the
conscious mind with a concrete thought. Stitt writes about these kinds of transitions in an essay:
In a typical poem, Stafford is likely to be moving in two directions at once toward the
particular, the minute, the concrete, on the one hand; toward the general, the suggestive, the
abstract, on the other (Andrews 80). The organization of the poem makes the images and ideas
easier for the reader to process, and reinforces the importance of each move Stafford makes in
the poem.
While Stafford retains some of the poems lines throughout all of the drafts, he changes
quite a few of them throughout his revision process. The second line of the poem changes subtly
throughout his editing, but it makes a significant change in the meaning of the poem. Stafford
initially writes, to be the wedge of any knowing, changing it to some new knowing within
the first draft (2). The line remains the same in the second draft and the documentary copy, but
by the published version, Stafford has changed the line to being on the edge of some new
knowing (2). Though he only changes one word, wedge to edge, from the first draft to the
published version, it alters the meaning of the line. To be the wedge of any knowing could
mean that you are stuck, or caught between knowing and not knowing. On the other hand, to be
on the edge of some new knowing could mean that you are on the brink of enlightenment, or a

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change in thought. Being on the edge is also a common theme in Staffords poetry, so the change
reflects a characteristic typical of Staffords work. Judith Kitchen writes about Staffords use of
the edge in his poetry: Some words become symbolic or, at the very least, invested with an
overtone of extended meaningThe poems move to the edge of meaning, a quiet
brinksmanship. Edge becomes one of those charged words. The world creates those edges;
people test themselves in the face of the abyss (Kitchen 14-15). Stafford taps into a new
meaning when he reflects on the memory of hitting the wasps nest, the edge created by the
world.
Stafford also goes more in depth about the slingshot incident throughout the development
of the poem. In the first draft, he is quieter in his description of the wasps after he hits their nest
with his slingshot. But by the second draft, he writes:
Once with a slingshot I hit a wasp nest:-without direction but sure of right,
released from belief and into act,
wasps planed by their sincere faith.
Vehement response for them was enough,
Patrolling my head with its thought like a moth:-- (7-12)
Stafford keeps this version of the poem throughout the rest of his drafts and for the published
version, only changing wasps in the fourth line to hornets in the final draft. The descriptions
of the wasps in this version portrays them as more aggressive and violent, describing their
response as vehement. This second version of the poem makes the wasps seem like they are
getting revenge on Stafford for hitting their nest, while the original version only describes them

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as having planed off with sincere faith, which does not make them seem aggressive; it makes
them seem like they are justified in their actions.
Stafford also alters this stanza by changing the sentence We took slingshots and hit
wasps nests from the first draft to Once with a slingshot I hit a wasp nest in the published
version. By taking the other person or people out of the poem and focusing on himself, it seems
more like a Stafford poem. It reflects Staffords affinity for moments of solitude, especially
within his poetry. It makes the incident seem like it had more of a personal effect on him, rather
than an incident he shared with someone else. Interestingly enough, Stafford still keeps the title
the same throughout each draft; it always remains Things We Did That Meant Something,
instead of changing it to Things I Did That Meant Something. Although it cannot be certain
why he retained the original title, it is possible that Stafford wanted the poem to still feel
inclusive, though it focuses on his own reflections.
Stafford also removed a well-written line from the poem. In the first draft, Stafford
writes: Now I wince when a moth goes by (11). But by the second draft, Stafford has changed
the line to Patrolling my head with its thought like a moth (12). The original line reflected
more on how the event affected Stafford; how the consequences of his actions have made him a
little more wary, and how he learned a lesson from the situation. The second draft does not
represent the aftereffects of the incident for Stafford, but it does present a new image, and a
different interpretation of the moth in the poem. In the second draft, the moth represents the
nature of the thoughts Stafford has about the incident. The line is reminiscent of the way moths
are attracted to lights; despite the possibility of them being zapped by the light, they are still
drawn to them and often fly too close. Similarly, Stafford should have known the possibilities of
what could happen once he hit the wasp nest with his slingshot; despite the danger, he hit the

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wasp nest anyways and had to deal with the backlash of the wasps stinging him. The backlash,
which, in the first draft of the poem, was referenced by the wincing or paranoia Stafford
experiences when a moth flies by him near the field.
Stafford also adds an entirely new stanza to the poem in the second draft. The new
quatrain is a quote that is the thought patrolling Staffords head like a moth:
Sometime the world may be hit like this
or I getting lost may walk toward this color
far in old sunlight with no trace at all,
till only the grass will know I fall (13-16).
This quote offers the reader two options: be stung or disappear. One can take a risk and
potentially get hit by the world, which also involves hitting the world back. Stafford points out
that everything has a reaction, and taking a risk means you might take a fall sometimes. On the
other hand, one can be passive, leaving no trace or mark that one was ever there or took any kind
of action. If one lives this way, without taking any risks, one also does not make any change in
the world, and only the grass will know that he or she fell (16). Stafford writes about this
multi-faceted aspect of nature in many of his poems. In an essay from The Worth of Local
Things, Peter Stitt writes: William Stafford is not a traditional poet, one whose chief goal is to
describe and venerate nature. He is instead a wisdom poet who uses the world of nature as a
means to an end he is in pursuit of a truth higher than those customarily perceived by ordinary
men leading ordinary lives (Andrews 175). Stafford uses his experience with the wasps nest to
find a greater meaning within his poetry.
While Stafford recognizes the consequences of hitting the wasps nest and how it affects
him by causing him paranoia, he also acknowledges the necessity of making changes in the

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world. This concept is not a fleeting thought; its an idea that consistently flutters around his
mind, as does a moth. He describes it as patrolling his mind; its a concept that he cant quite
shake.
It is interesting that someone who is a pacifist is dwelling on this idea so much. It seems
as if Stafford favors the idea of being stung or dealing with the consequences of risky actions
over being passive and disappearing without notice. This reflects his attitude while he was a
conscientious objector; he was not willing to sit back and do nothing, or go along with something
that he did not agree with: His choice was a courageous one. World War II was a popular war;
to be a conscientious objector was to remove oneself from the mainstream of society (Kitchen
4). However, he was not aggressive about his decisions, he stood up for what he believed in
without being the one to do the stinging; he was the one who was stung for his decision to
remove himself from the mainstream, those who supported the war.
The added quote in the poem aligns with a common move in Staffords poetry. It adds the
twist at the end that makes the reader connect nature to a larger idea, and it also leaves the reader
with additional questions. Judith Kitchen writes about this tendency in Staffords writing: In
most Stafford poems there seems to be a line that asks more questions than the rest of the poem
can answer (Kitchen 43). The quote at the end makes the reader ask more questions than
Stafford gives answers to:
Sometime the world may be hit like this
or I getting lost may walk toward this color
far in old sunlight with no trace at all,
till only the grass will know I fall (13-16).

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In ending the poem this way, the reader is left to dwell on the ideas of taking risks in the world,
or fading away to nothing. Stafford opens up the poem to more questions than he ends up
answering.
Stafford also supports this idea through a line that remains consistent throughout each
draft. In the published version, in reference to the slingshot he uses, he writes: without direction
but sure of right, meaning he is unsure of which direction to go, but he is confident that he
knows what is right or just, and intends to follow in that direction (8). This reflects his decision
to be a conscientious objector; he is unsure of what will happen or what the backlash might be
for his actions, but he knows he is doing the right thing.
These ideas are intensified throughout each draft. The original version of the poem
includes Staffords confidence in his actions, but not his apparent belief that we are give only
two options, to be stung or to disappear. He strengthens these ideas by adding the quote in the
last stanza, and describing it as the idea he cannot shake, as a consequence of hitting the wasps
nest.
The poem is written mostly in tetrameter, with some lines in pentameter, which also
makes the poem easier to read. In addition to making the poem flow smoothly, it sounds more
conversational a characteristic of Stafford poetry. There are few places where Stafford changes
the rhythm of the poem. In the last line of the first stanza, Stafford writes a line in trochaic
hexameter: NEAR the WINter RIver WITH its SILT like SILver (6). The longer line works
here, because it serves as a transition to the next stanza and to a new train of thought; the line
pulls us into Staffords memory, so the longer line length is apt. The only other line that breaks
the tetrameter is in the final stanza: or I GETting LOST may WALK TOward this COLor (14).
The line is written in pentameter, and has a variety of iambs, trochees, and anapests. The

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variation of meter in this line mimics the message: Stafford is discussing how if one does not
strike out at the world and take a risk, he or she will get lost and fade away with no attention paid
to them. In this line in particular, Stafford is writing about getting lost, which works with the
deviation in meter.
Stafford does not stick to a specific meter throughout the entire poem; he writes in mostly
trochees and anapests, although he does have an occasional iamb thrown into the mix. His use of
anapests is interesting, because it lends the poem a smooth, rolling feeling as the reader goes
through the lines. The anapests break up the use of shorter poetic feet, like the trochees Stafford
frequently uses through the poem as well, and elongates the rhythm of the poem. Stafford
includes one line that was originally written in perfect anapestic tetrameter: They paTROLLing
my HEAD with its THOUGHT like a MOTH (12). However, in the second draft, Stafford
removes the word They, making the line iambic with a few anapests.
One interesting part of Staffords drafts for this poem that made it stand out from the
other drafts of his poetry on the archives is the doodles all over the second draft of the poem.
Stafford includes some rather strange drawings related to the poem in the margins. Three
diamond-shaped drawings that are filled with smaller diamond-shaped tessellations appear on the
draft. The largest of these shapes appears next to the second stanza, which describes Staffords
run-in with the wasps. It is possible that the little diamonds are meant to be drawings of the
wasps nest.
Stafford also draws a very well done picture of a bloodhound, near the end of the first
stanza. The bloodhound is situated near some very strange doodling that is comprised of several
odd shaped diamonds, and three shapes that look like a combination of a four-leafed clover and a
fleur-de-lis. These odd shapes may be Staffords attempt to draw the husks and stalks that remind

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him of the wasp nest incident. They could also be abstract representations of the memories he is
recalling in the poem. Either way, it is interesting that Stafford drew on this draft. It is possible
that Stafford was struggling with the changes he wanted to make, and took to doodling while he
contemplated what his next moves would be in the poem. The last two lines include quite a bit of
editing and crossing out. Stafford actually takes to writing in the lines below the final stanza,
which could mean he felt like he had made too many edits on the typed lines, thought they had
become too messy to work with, and decided to write in a cleaner version below them. However,
it seems like even this was not enough, because Stafford made one more edit on the written in
lines.
In his considerably extensive editing process, Stafford begins by recounting an
experience he had after hitting a wasps nest, and getting stung. But through his drafts, he
discovers a larger, encompassing meaning that he expresses through his comparisons to nature,
which is typical of a Stafford poem. This leaves the readers of the poem with more questions that
answers, left to mull over the abstractions Stafford writes about.

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Works Cited

Andrews, Tom, ed. On William Stafford: The Worth of Local Things. Ann Arbor: University
of Michigan Press, 1993. Print.
Kitchen, Judith. Writing the World: Understanding William Stafford. Corvallis: Oregon State
University Press, 1999. Print.
Stafford, William. Traveling Through the Dark. New York: Harper & Row, 1962.
Things We Did That Meant Something. William Stafford Archives. Web. 16 October 2015.


Draft 1:

29 December 1956

Things We Did That Meant Something




I

Thin as a memory to a bloodhounds nose

to be the wedge of any knowing,


^Some new

I go back to a winter clear, clear for a walk

Husk or stalk, and the sunlight touch

the color of a wasp nest in the brush

or the winter river with silt like silver.

We took slingshots and hit wasp nests:

without direction but sure of right

released from belief and into act

wasps planed off with sincere faith.

Now I wince when a moth goes by

and look when I pass at winter corn.

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color


Draft 2:

Things We Did That Meant Something

Thin as memory to a bloodhounds nose,

being the wedge of some new knowing,

I often glance at a winter color

husk or stalk, a sunlight touch,

the color of a wasp nest in the brush
^Maybe

near the winter river with its silt like silver.

Once with a slingshot I hit a wasp nest:--

without direction but sure of right,

released from belief and into act,

wasps planed off with their sincere faith.
^by

Vehement response for them was enough,

They patrolled my head with its thought like a moth: --
^ing

Sometime the world may be hit like this

or I getting lost may walk toward this color,

for into a scene of old sunlight and trance
^for no trace

and only the grass will know I fell.
^tell
^and

for in old sunlight with no trace
and only the grass will know I fall
^till

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Documentary Copy:

Things We Did That Meant Something
San Jose
February 1957

Thin as a memory to a bloodhounds nose,

being the wedge of some new knowing,

I often glance at a winter color

husk or stalk, a sunlight touch,

maybe a wasp nest in the brush

near the winter river with silt like silver.

Once with a slingshot I hit a wasp nest: --

without direction but sure of right,

released from belief and into act,

wasps planed off by their sincere faith.
^hornets

Vehement response for them was enough,

patrolling my head with its thought like a moth:--

Sometime the world may be hit like this

or I getting lost may walk toward this color

far in old sunlight with no trace at all,

till only the grass will know I fall

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Published Version:
Things We Did That Meant Something

Thin as a memory to a bloodhounds nose,

being the edge of some new knowing.
I often glance at a winter color
husk or stalk, a sunlight touch,
maybe a wasp nest in the brush
near the winter river with silt like silver.

Once with a slingshot I hit a wasp nest: -without direction but sure of right,
released from belief and into act,
hornet planed off by their sincere faith.
Vehement response for them was enough,
patrolling my head with its thought like a moth: --

Sometime the world may be hit like this

or I getting lost may walk toward this color
far in old sunlight with no trace at all,
till only the grass will know I fall.

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