--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nexus I wrote stubbornly into the…" description: "\"“Nexus I wrote stubbornly into the evening. At the window, a giant praying mantis rubbed his monkey wrench head against the glass, begging vacantly wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/rita-dove-4855_poetry_nexus-i-wrote-stubbornly-into-the-evenin_757649.jpg" --- # Nexus I wrote stubbornly into the evening. At the window… ![“Nexus I wrote stubbornly into the evening. At the window, a giant praying mantis rubbed his monkey wrench head against the glass, begging vacantly with pale eyes; and the commas leapt at me like worms or miniature scythes blackened with age. the praying mantis screeched louder, his ragged jaws…” quote by Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/rita-dove-4855_poetry_nexus-i-wrote-stubbornly-into-the-evenin_757649.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/rita-dove-4855_poetry_nexus-i-wrote-stubbornly-into-the-evenin_757649.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/rita-dove-4855_poetry_nexus-i-wrote-stubbornly-into-the-evenin_757649.jpg) > ““Nexus I wrote stubbornly into the evening. At the window, a giant praying mantis rubbed his monkey wrench head against the glass, begging vacantly with pale eyes; and the commas leapt at me like worms or miniature scythes blackened with age. the praying mantis screeched louder, his ragged jaws opening into formlessness. I walked outside; the grass hissed at my heels. Up ahead in the lapping darkness he wobbled, magnified and absurdly green, a brontosaurus, a poet.”” [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage blends surreal imagery with a sense of creative struggle, portraying the mind’s battle with language and inspiration as a chaotic, almost animalistic scene. **In simple terms:** Creative struggle feels chaotic and animalistic. Key Takeaway Embrace the mess to find inspiration. Themes creativity language surrealism struggle Mood intense reflective Type poetic surrealistic When to use this quote - writing - poetry - artistic block - nighttime reflection Key Concepts imagery metaphor personification Questions to Reflect On - How can chaos become a catalyst for clarity? - What does the mantis symbolize in your own creative moments? A Different Perspective The vividness may overwhelm rather than clarify the creative process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brontosaurus Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brontosaurus-poet-5881112/) [Mantis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mantis-1983894/) [Mantis Screeched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mantis-screeched-5881113/) [Nexus Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nexus-wrote-5881114/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Praying mantis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying-mantis/) ## Related quotes > [What are praying mantis' even praying for? I hope it's something useful like world peace or marriage equality or me opening this pickle jar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-are-praying-mantis-even-praying-for-i-hope-it-s-something-useful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The Praying Mantis Visits A Penthouse The praying Mantis with its length of straw Out of nowhere's forehead born full armed Engaged the century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-williams/the-praying-mantis-visits-a-penthouse-the-praying-mantis-with-its/) [Oscar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-williams/) > [I am like a praying mantis, after I have sex with a guy I will rip their heads off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jwoww/i-am-like-a-praying-mantis-after-i-have-sex-with-a-guy-i-will-rip/) [JWoww](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jwoww/) > [A black widow loves her mate then kills him. A praying mantis loves her mate then eats him. Women love my dad, but he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/a-black-widow-loves-her-mate-then-kills-him-a-praying-mantis-loves/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I told my girlfriend that a praying mantis female eats its mate after copulation. She didn't take the hint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-floyd/i-told-my-girlfriend-that-a-praying-mantis-female-eats-its-mate-after/) [James Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-floyd/) > [“Think about Praying Mantis. The deadliest ninja predator. Why isn't his animus a lion or a polar bear - two of the most successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/think-about-praying-mantis-the-deadliest-ninja-predator-why-isn-t-his/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [The praying mantis. The inventor of the one-night stand. Wham, bam, off with your head, man!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-s/the-praying-mantis-the-inventor-of-the-one-night-stand-wham-bam-off/) [Laura S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-s/) > [ Yes! I did \[grow up on a Christmas Tree farm\], so this is a good season for me. I was too young to help… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/yes-i-did-grow-up-on-a-christmas-tree-farm-so-this-is-a-good-season/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Shawn: SUCK IT the mantis: no U SUCK IT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psych/shawn-suck-it-the-mantis-no-u-suck-it/) [Psych](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psych/) > [“Even the mantis has stopped praying”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/even-the-mantis-has-stopped-praying/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [“I have seen things. I saw the great Mantis God of Africa fighting a creature from the primordial depths, a billion-year war until finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-human/i-have-seen-things-i-saw-the-great-mantis-god-of-africa-fighting-a/) [Charlie Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-human/) > [“Being nearly four years old, she was certainly a child: and children are human (if one allows the term "human" a wide sense): but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hughes/being-nearly-four-years-old-she-was-certainly-a-child-and-children/) [Richard Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hughes/) > [I imagine the life of an atheistic praying mantis to be rather torturous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-imagine-the-life-of-an-atheistic-praying-mantis-to-be-rather/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [“dear samantha i’m sorry we have to get a divorce i know that seems like an odd way to start a love letter but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-singer/dear-samantha-i-m-sorry-we-have-to-get-a-divorce-i-know-that-seems/) [Jared Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-singer/) > [Mama used to tell us a story about a cicada sitting high in a tree. It chirps and drinks in dew, oblivious to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/mama-used-to-tell-us-a-story-about-a-cicada-sitting-high-in-a-tree-it/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## More by Rita Dove > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/courage-has-nothing-to-do-with-our-determination-to-be-great-it-has/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Libraries are where it all begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/libraries-are-where-it-all-begins/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere-just-walking-down-the-street-and/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To write for PC reasons, because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-write-for-pc-reasons-because-you-think-you-ought-to-be-dealing/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/all-of-us-have-moments-in-our-childhood-where-we-come-alive-for-the/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [The First Book: Go ahead, it won't bite. Well... maybe a little. More a nip, like. A tingle. It's pleasurable, really. You see, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/the-first-book-go-ahead-it-won-t-bite-well-maybe-a-little-more-a-nip/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Sometimes a word is found so right it trembles at the slightest explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/sometimes-a-word-is-found-so-right-it-trembles-at-the-slightest/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Listen how they say your name. If they can't say that right, there's no way they're going to know how to treat you proper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/listen-how-they-say-your-name-if-they-can-t-say-that-right-there-s-no/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/people-write-me-from-all-over-the-country-asking-me-and-sometimes/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Creative writing and literacy go hand and hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/creative-writing-and-literacy-go-hand-and-hand/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/there-are-distinct-duties-of-a-poet-laureate-i-plan-a-reading-series/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [My first advice would be to read, read, read, which sounds interesting coming in a digital age, but it's so much easier to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-first-advice-would-be-to-read-read-read-which-sounds-interesting/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To me, a poem is almost like someone whispering to another person, or you hear the whispering in your head. I hope with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-me-a-poem-is-almost-like-someone-whispering-to-another-person-or/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I was not interested in doing the plot of OEDIPUS in blackface. I did wonder, what would these people have been like if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-was-not-interested-in-doing-the-plot-of-oedipus-in-blackface-i-did/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) [Explore all 106 Rita Dove quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## More Poetry quotes > [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/) [Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/) > [The name Phenomenal Woman was inspired by Maya Angelo, who wrote 'Phenomenal Woman', a favorite poem of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meena-harris/the-name-phenomenal-woman-was-inspired-by-maya-angelo-who-wrote/) [Meena Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meena-harris/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“Time gives poetry to a battlefield...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/time-gives-poetry-to-a-battlefield/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“In the streets, the children scream, the lovers cried, and the poets dreamed,” he crooned, putting down the metal grill tongs to take my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-clarke/in-the-streets-the-children-scream-the-lovers-cried-and-the-poets/) [Alexandria Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-clarke/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [You don’t read or overhear the voice in the poem, you are the voice in the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/you-don-t-read-or-overhear-the-voice-in-the-poem-you-are-the-voice-in/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. 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At the window, a giant praying mantis rubbed his monkey wrench head against the glass, begging vacantly with pale eyes; and the commas leapt at me like worms or miniature scythes blackened with age. the praying mantis screeched louder, his ragged jaws opening into formlessness. I walked outside; the grass hissed at my heels. 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