What’s Up With the Title?

Like the poem itself, the title is short, direct, and simple. That doesn't mean that it's a boring title, though. In this case less is simply more. That's because, just like a good little black dress or a pocket knife, the single-word title is surprisingly versatile. Sure, on one level, the narrator is literally talking about mowing the grass and leaving the clippings behind to make hay, but in many ways the poem is talking about the mowing of ideas. Grass grows quickly, creating lush, green pastures that must be regularly maintained. The same thing goes for thoughts and creative endeavors. Our minds can run wild and come up with all kinds of crazy ideas if we let it, but if we carefully cultivate our mind the way the narrator in "Mowing" cultivates his fields, then we will be able to identify what has the most value.