"A Small Needful Fact"
Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.
Horticultural Department
A poem's title often helps unlock its meaning. Here, the title "A Small Needful Fact" also serves as the first line. This continuation from the title into the body of the poem does not contain a pause for breath, which contributes to the ethos of hedging humility that the speaker takes on. There is no dramatic flare or emphasis in these lines. Indeed, this fact of where Garner worked is communicated in a "small" way. This fact is the foundation upon which the poem builds its poetic speculation.
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants
This is the first line of speculation that Gay develops from the fact that Eric Garner worked for some time for the Parks and Rec. Horticultural Department. The word "perhaps" appears twice in close proximity. Along with the phrase "in all likelihood," this repetition demonstrates the speaker's use of hedging. The word hedge is from Old English hecg—originally any fence, living or artificial. The tone that this creates is simultaneously one of uncertainty, slight discomfort, and hope.
The description of Garner's "very large hands" doing something "gently" addresses stereotypes about Black men. The word "earth" refers to the specific plot of dirt that Garner planted in, but it also contributes to the final message of the poem: that Garner's work affects the collective.
like being pleasant to touch and smell
This line is tucked into a list of "what such plants" that Garner planted "do" (Line 10). All the others describe a useful and important function such as housing and feeding necessary creatures and converting sunlight into food. That Gay places this line about plants being pleasant to touch and smell in a list of important functions conveys his view that sensory experience is an integral part of life.
On the poet's website, the About section reads,
Ross Gay is interested in joy.
Ross Gay wants to understand joy.
Ross Gay is curious about joy.
Ross Gay studies joy.
Something like that.
This is a poet who is unafraid to catalog what he is grateful for. While it conveys Gay's view about sensory experience, the line is flat when compared to other works that explore this topic. This flatness creates an important distance in the poem. While Gay honors Garner's life, the poem does not seek to elevate the man to the status of sainthood.
