What type of poem is "Incident in a Rose Garden"?

“Incident in a Rose Garden” by Donald Justice is primarily a narrative poem. Such poems tell a story, similar to prose; they often contain characters, a plot, conflict, and resolution. They are frequently connected to the oral literary tradition in that the narrative element in them implies an audience who might be listening to the story being told or read aloud. This particular poem is written in free verse—there is no rhyming scheme, although the uniform shortness of the verses indicates a fairly even spoken rhythm.

In the poem, the characters are the Gardener, the Master, and Death, and the story implies the arrival of Death and his patient wait for the right man—the man he has come for.

Due to its structure, this work can also be called a dramatic poem; although similar to a narrative poem, this type of poetry is usually constructed so that the characters in it enter into dialogues which tell the story and thus carry the message of the work.

Additionally, given the themes it covers (fear of death and its inevitability, the vain illusion of the living that they will never die), the poem can also be labeled reflective. Such poems imply meditations on universal matters such as life and death or the point of living (here reflected in the Gardener’s wishes). In this case, the story of the poem is an allegory for how people accept one of the key events in every life: death.

Who is the speaker in the poem "Incident in a Rose Garden"?

Donald Justice originally included "Incident in a Rose Garden" in his 1967 collection of poems titled Night Light. The poem is written in free verse, and it is separated in three parts, each part consisting of one speaker. The speaker in the first part is the old gardener, the speaker in the second part is the gardener's master, and the speaker in the third part is Death. Thus, there are three speakers in the poem, and they are also the only characters. Two others are mentioned, but they do not speak.

Essentially, the poem is a conversation between the three speakers, which is why it's classified as a dramatic dialogue: the gardener addresses his master, the master addresses Death, and Death addresses the master. All three parts address the readers.

In the first part, the gardener tells his master that he met Death by the roses and that he wishes to quit his job in order to see his sons and visit California before he dies. Here, the speaker conveys feelings of fear and determination.

In the second part, the master tells Death that he welcomes only friends on his property and doesn't appreciate the fact that he scared his gardener. Here, the speaker conveys feelings of courage and disapproval and even reprimands Death for his actions.

In the third part, Death tells the master that he is indeed a friend, as he knew his father and has only spoken to the gardener not to threaten or scare him, but to ask him if he could be taken to the gardener's master. Here, the speaker conveys feelings of coolness and even poise as he calmly explains to the master that he means no harm and implies the real reason and purpose behind his visit.