I am 60 odd years of age

Overview

• "I Am 60 Odd Years of Age" is an erasure poem by Tracy K. Smith from her 2018 collection Wade in the Water.
• The poem is constructed from the pension applications of African-American soldiers who served in the American Civil War. These soldiers often lacked formal records due to their history of enslavement, making it challenging to prove their eligibility for pensions.
• By weaving together their fragmented testimonies, Smith highlights the systemic racism and injustice they faced both during and after the war.
• Themes include identity, memory, resilience, and the struggle for recognition in a system that erased their humanity.
• The poem gives voice to these forgotten individuals, honouring their sacrifices while critiquing the institutional barriers they endured.

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Detailed Summary

Stanza 1 (Lines 1–9):

The poem opens with a repeated declaration of uncertainty: "I am 60 odd years of age" (line 1). This refrain, coupled with variations such as "I am about 65 years of age" (line 4) and "I don't know my exact age" (line 9), reflects the lack of accurate birth records for formerly enslaved individuals. This ambiguity underscores how systemic erasure dehumanised these soldiers, depriving them of even the most basic markers of identity.

Stanza 2 (Lines 10–18):

The speaker establishes themselves as "the claimant in this case" (line 10), asserting their right to a pension. The line "all soldiers are entitled to a pension" (line 15) highlights the fairness they seek while pointing to the systemic barriers they face. Specific injuries such as "disease of eyes" and "varicose veins" (lines 17–18) illustrate the physical toll of their service, reminding readers of the sacrifices made by these individuals.

Stanza 3 (Lines 19–30):

The speaker recalls their enlistment as a "green boy right off the farm" (line 31). The details, such as "I had a little mustache" (line 29), humanise the speaker and make their story relatable. The anecdote about their name being recorded incorrectly ("He put me down as John Wilson", line 36) highlights the recruiting officer's indifference or carelessness, reducing the speaker's identity to a bureaucratic error.

Stanza 4 (Lines 31–53):

The poem explores the speaker's fragmented sense of identity. They state, "I cannot read nor write" (line 38), revealing their vulnerability in navigating systems of authority. They describe signing their name by "making my mark" (line 41), a phrase that symbolises their struggle to assert their individuality. The story becomes even more complex as they recount family connections and conflicting information about their lineage, such as "My name on the roll was Frank Nunn. No sir, it was not Frank Nunn" (line 52).

Stanza 5 (Lines 54–60):

The final stanza concludes with a reclamation of identity. The speaker declares their "correct name is Hiram Kirkland" (line 60), a definitive statement that restores their dignity. The poem's repetition of "I am" culminates here, transforming the narrative from uncertainty to self-assertion. The mention of Biblical names such as Hiram reinforces themes of resilience and the sacredness of their identity.

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Themes

Identity and the Struggle for Recognition

• The repeated variations of "I am 60 odd years of age" (lines 1–9) reflect the speaker's uncertainty about their age, a direct result of systemic erasure during enslavement.
• The fragmented references to names ("My name on the roll was Frank Nunn. No sir, it was not Frank Nunn", line 52) highlight how enslaved individuals were stripped of personal identity, further complicated by bureaucratic indifference.
• By the poem's conclusion, the speaker reclaims their identity: "My correct name is Hiram Kirkland" (line 60), asserting their dignity despite a lifetime of dehumanisation.

Injustice and Bureaucratic Indifference

• The speaker's plea for a pension illustrates the structural inequities faced by African-American soldiers. Despite their service, they are forced to repeatedly justify their worth: "I have testified before you two different times before" (line 10).
• The anecdote about the recruiting officer assigning the name "John Wilson" (line 36) underscores how bureaucratic errors compounded their struggles for recognition, reducing them to numbers rather than individuals.

Resilience and the Importance of Memory

• Despite systemic oppression, the speaker's determination to reclaim their story shines through. The refrain of "I am" throughout the poem demonstrates resilience, with the final declaration of their name representing a symbolic victory over erasure.
• References to family history, such as "I am the son of Solomon and Lucinda Sibley" (line 47), serve as acts of preservation, ensuring that their lineage and experiences are not forgotten.

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Structure and Form

1. Erasure Poem

• This poem is part of Smith's Wade in the Water collection and is created using the erasure method. By selectively removing words from pension applications, Smith brings to light the silenced voices of African-American Civil War veterans.

• The fragmented structure mirrors the systemic erasure these individuals experienced, making the form itself a commentary on their incomplete histories. 2. Free Verse

• The poem is written in free verse with no rhyme or metre, reflecting the unstructured, chaotic nature of the lives and experiences it recounts.

• This lack of formal constraints allows the poem to move fluidly between personal memories and institutional barriers, reinforcing its raw and conversational tone. 3. Repetition

• The repeated phrase "I am" (lines 1–9) conveys both uncertainty and persistence.

• The refrain mirrors the speaker's struggle to assert their identity despite societal attempts to erase it. By the end of the poem, this repetition culminates in a powerful reclamation: "My correct name is Hiram Kirkland" (line 60). 4. Fragmentation

• The poem's fragmented lines and syntax ("I filed my claim I think first about 12 years ago", line 11) echo the fragmented lives of the soldiers it portrays.

• This style reinforces the sense of lives interrupted and histories lost due to enslavement and systemic neglect. 5. Shifts in Tone

• The tone oscillates between resignation ("I do not know my exact age", line 9) and defiance ("My correct name is Hiram Kirkland", line 60), reflecting the emotional complexity of reclaiming stolen identity.

• This tonal shift reinforces the speaker's journey from vulnerability to empowerment.

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Poetic Techniques

1. Repetition

• The repeated phrase "I am" (lines 1–9) emphasises the speaker's struggle to define their identity in the face of systemic erasure.
• The repetition builds a rhythm that mirrors the persistence and determination of the speaker to reclaim their individuality. Effect: This technique underscores the central theme of identity and highlights the resilience of those whose voices were historically silenced.

2. Irony

• The speaker recounts how a recruiting officer gave them the name "John Wilson" (line 36), a stark contrast to their eventual declaration of "My correct name is Hiram Kirkland" (line 60).
• The discrepancy between the imposed name and the speaker's real identity highlights the bureaucratic indifference faced by African-American soldiers. Effect: The irony critiques the dehumanisation and systemic disregard for individual identity, calling attention to the broader injustices of the time.

3. Enjambment

• Lines such as "I am the son of Solomon and Lucinda Sibley – / I am the only living child of Dennis Campbell –" (lines 47–48) flow across line breaks without punctuation.
• The continuous flow reflects the unbroken determination of the speaker to piece together and preserve their history. Effect: Enjambment creates a conversational and natural rhythm, allowing the fragmented narrative to reflect the speaker's emotional and historical journey.

4. Symbolism

• The act of "making my mark" (line 41) symbolises the speaker's effort to assert their presence in a system that sought to erase it.
• The final declaration, "My correct name is Hiram Kirkland" (line 60), powerfully symbolises reclamation and identity restoration. Effect: These symbols reinforce the central themes of memory, justice, and the resilience of oppressed individuals in reclaiming their humanity.

5. Historical Allusion

• The poem is grounded in historical references to the American Civil War and the systemic barriers faced by African-American soldiers seeking pensions.
• By using archival fragments, Smith incorporates a collective voice of those forgotten by history. Effect: The historical allusions give the poem a universal resonance, connecting the personal narrative to broader issues of systemic injustice.