An Abandoned Factory, Detroit Poem by Philip Levine

An Abandoned Factory, Detroit

Rating: 3.3


The gates are chained, the barbed-wire fencing stands,
An iron authority against the snow,
And this grey monument to common sense
Resists the weather. Fears of idle hands,
Of protest, men in league, and of the slow
Corrosion of their minds, still charge this fence.

Beyond, through broken windows one can see
Where the great presses paused between their strokes
And thus remain, in air suspended, caught
In the sure margin of eternity.
The cast-iron wheels have stopped; one counts the spokes
Which movement blurred, the struts inertia fought,

And estimates the loss of human power,
Experienced and slow, the loss of years,
The gradual decay of dignity.
Men lived within these foundries, hour by hour;
Nothing they forged outlived the rusted gears
Which might have served to grind their eulogy.

An Abandoned Factory, Detroit
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Eric Cockrell 09 February 2012

very well done... your images leap out and grab!

10 6 Reply
G. Murdock 06 December 2005

Great Piece ....great descriptive indictment of rust. Also a great reality check on the fate of American workers.

10 6 Reply
SUper dude 14 January 2020

IT stinks IT stinks IT stinks IT stinks IT stinks IT stinks IT stinks

11 4 Reply
Michael Gale 08 April 2009

Great writing! A gifted talent that has written unique and so artful. God bless us all-MJG.

8 5 Reply
Glen Kappy 14 December 2016

this poem resonates in america today and is the reason many voted for donald trump. but mainly i want to comment on the craft of the poem. i'm not familiar with levine's work, but after reading this i want to read some more. this poem has a tight rhyme scheme and sticks with pentameter, but i hardly noticed it when reading. it flowed logically and naturally. he begins with the outside of the factory then moves attention to the inside through broken windows with muscular descriptions. the poem moves me not by telling me how to feel, but evoking feelings from the things described. i'm off to read more levine. glen kappy

5 6 Reply
SUpeR R2DA Dude 12 August 2022

This poem is still the big mighty trashy poo poo wee woo English Teachers avoid

5 1 Reply
SUPER smoosher dude 12 May 2022

This poem still is the big doo doo loser bruh bruh poem written by a dum dum HAHA

6 1 Reply
SUper Dude Hacker Man 18 March 2022

192.168 1.1 Get Hacked Loser ] : )

9 0 Reply
SuPEr Dude Beta 0.0.71 18 March 2022

my mommy always told me to not like strangers I don't like this guy he poo poo

9 0 Reply
SUper Dude V6 18 March 2022

This poem so bad that I can make a better one. Mars is red mc donnalds is yellow and red you are bad and im not. the end

8 0 Reply
Philip Levine

Philip Levine

Detroit, Michigan
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