Spirituality Fills the Stomach
McClure’s use of synecdoche in the poem, “Peyote Poem”, develops the idea that one is empty without spirituality and that emptiness is the only state one can accept said spirituality in. “Peyote Poem” reflects on McClure’s experience on peyote, a psychedelic hallucinogenic drug historically and currently used by many indigenous communities for spiritual purposes. During the 1960’s, many nonconformists sought out psychedelics as a way to expand their minds and break away from societal conformity.
McClure’s poem describes his mind opening and spiritually fulfilling experience through the repeated mention of his stomach. This use of the word stomach develops synecdoche in the poem because a stomach is a part of the whole human body. The use of synecdoche develops the “stomach” as a metaphor for McClure, specifically his mind, as that is what is most directly affected by the peyote. McClure states that his “STOMACH IS SWOLLEN AND NUMB” in Part II where he describes a state of “essential-barrenness” that he has entered as a result of the peyote (McClure 268). McClure is essentially stating that he is “swollen and numb”, perhaps adjusting to the landscape he saw in “180 degrees” (McClure 268). Through describing himself through his stomach, McClure is able to utilize the common phrases one might use to describe their stomach, especially when one’s stomach is empty. As a result of emptiness, the acid in one’s stomach may start to irritate the stomach walls, leading to a state of swollenness. If one is in this empty state for an extended period of time, they may find that they feel numb in regards to the desire to eat or feel hungry in general. The words “swollen and numb” suggest the empty nature of McClure’s mind, which is related to the state of “essential-barrenness” he describes afterwards, which suggests a static nature to his being, one that is unfruitful and unyielding. In this state, McClure is essentially suggesting that his person is stripped with nothing to give or hold onto.
This state of emptiness develops the idea that once McClure experienced emptiness, he was able to truly experience the heightened spiritual aspect of life catalyzed by peyote. In Part III, McClure describes himself as being “AT THE POINT OF ALL HUGENESS AND MEANING”, suggesting that he has now gained some sense of enlightenment and purpose as a result of his experience of feeling empty, exposed, and open to the influence of psychedelics (McClure 272). The concept of “hugeness” suggests that this point is something beyond McClure’s physical being and the material world all together. When paired with the concept of “meaning”, this point of awakening can be seen as something spiritual at its core. The experiences McClure describes in Part III suggests that through the use of peyote, he has found a way to break conformity, through opening and expanding his mental state.
This described result is contradictory to the initial pain experienced in Part I, where he intentionally and exclusively spells the word “stomach” with an “e” at the end. He initially exclaims “STOMACHE” after describing himself as thinking “tribal thoughts” which can be seen as an allusion to the indigenous communities who first used peyote (McClure 266). The spelling of “stomache” suggests a painful aspect to his being, a struggle that is knotted and rooted deep within him. He only further emphasizes this word choice when he intentionally breaks “STOM-ACHE” to highlight the significance of including “ache” in the word “stomache” (McClure 267). This concept of pain illustrated before his described state of emptiness in Part II suggests that he purges himself of this ailment, as Part I is the only section where “stomach” is written as “stomache”.
McClure establishes a cycle of experiencing pain, letting go of the struggles that consume him, and finding greater spiritual meaning only after he has gone through the first two steps. This developed cycle throughout the poem speaks to the necessary state one must be in to accept and appreciate spiritual qualities and experiences in life. The beat generation was driven by the search for spirituality and how to articulate that essential, spiritual quality to life in their work. McClure captures this spiritual quality through describing his experience with psychedelics through the usage of both synecdoche and metaphor in his poetry.
McClure, Michael. “Peyote Poem.” The Portable Beat Reader. Edited by Ann Charters, Penguin, 1992, pp. 265–273.
Photo retrieved from Medical News Today
