At the Gym

“At the Gym” consists of eight unrhymed quatrains—stanzas of four lines—and one concluding unrhymed couplet. The individual lines are relatively short, and most fall within two or three metrical feet. Though the meter is inconsistent, the work’s shorter lines and consistent stanza length together lend the poem structure and stability. These qualities are common in poems with shorter lines, given that they leave no space for unnecessary words. These short lines also reinforce the poem’s setting and subject. The weightlifters, if talking between reps or while lifting the weights, would only be able to speak in brief sentences. is Doty’s use of enjambment also reinforces the poem’s sense of structure, particularly between stanzas as one connects to the next.

The poem shares some elements with ode forms and ekphrastic forms. Odes are a type of lyrical poetry that celebrate a particular person or place, and the subject matter and celebratory tone define the poem rather than any strict formal requirements. Ekphrasis, similarly, aims to describe or interpret a particular work of art or cultural object. As explored further in this guide’s longer analysis of “At the Gym,” the poem, like an ode, celebrates the gym as a homosocial space of worship. It accomplishes this celebration through applying ekphrastic techniques to a sweat stain.

Though the poem borrows and adopts techniques from these other forms of poetry, “At the Gym” is best understood as a work of free verse poetry. Free verse poetry does not subscribe to any traditional formal restrictions; instead, it relies on alternative methods of poetic organization, such as Doty’s use of short lines and enjambment.