This is a difficult poem. It needs to be. How else could it give voice to our complex world? The poem delivers experience. The reader must work to get at the poem. Begin with what you recognize and follow the trail. Pay attention to the clash of words: Myhtic and peppermint, candy and salvation, words not often found in the same sentence. Meaning lies in these incongruities. Look up words you don’t know. They hold specific meanings and are not just the poet showing off. This poem is tightly constructed of allusions and double entendre. One word alludes to other references and most having more than one meaning.
Title:
The title refers to the Western Hemisphere where Christianity is the
most pervasive religion. ‘Fix’ is both a verb meaning to repair and a
noun meaning a difficult predicament. Christian theology declares
that we are in a fix (sin) and Christ can fix the problem (salvation.)
First Stanza:
Peppermint has long been a flavor popular at Christmas time, celebration.
of the mythic sun/son. Cain refers to the biblical brother who committed
the original murder by killing his brother Able. (Genesis 4) The homophone
cane also alludes to the peppermint candy cane in the shape of a shepherd’s
crook from the Christmas story and the initial ‘J’.the first letter in the name
Jesus.
Odd that candy canes are a symbol for the birth of the sacrificial savior Jesus.
Not odd that people call upon Jesus in moments of crisis to sweeten a bitter life.
Second Stanza:
Another double meaning, Salvador, Spanish for ‘savior’ and the first name of
the 20th century Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
Third Stanza:
Perhaps the solution to the world’s brokenness is not a permanent fix but
a provisional fix which will bring relief for the moment even thoiugh the
calamity being addressed is not momentary but lasting.
Fourth Stanza:
A frequent symbol in Dali’s paintings are crutches, Crutches help stabilize what
is likely to fall down. Crutches can be helpful, bringing a sense of safety and
security to a faltering world. Postlapsarian (‘post’– after, ‘lapse’– fall) after the
Fall. In a fallen world perhaps the best we can do\is prop ourselves up.