What is the main theme in Vachel Lindsay's poem "The Flower-fed Buffaloes?"

Like any poem or piece of literature, it is the reader’s
interpretation. But here is the gist. This poem is a bit tricky because it seems to be
lamenting the life of rustic prairie of the past and the foreboding industrialization of
the future. But, there are verbal cues that let you know that this poem is actually
about nostalgia for the past and hope for the
future.

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The flower-fed buffaloes of the
spring

In the days of long
ago,

Ranged where the locomotives
sing

And the prairie flowers lie low:
(1-4)

The first two lines use
the past tense and they are nostalgic. The buffaloes used to roam here. The next two
lines are present tense. The locomotives “sing.” They don’t roar or crunch. Using “sing”
might be sarcastic but I don’t think that’s the case here. It seems like “sing” is used
to mark the presence of the locomotive as useful or pleasant. And although the buffalo
may be gone, the prairie flowers are still here. This fact will be important later in
the poem.

In the next four lines, the wheels spin by in
“the spring that’s still sweet.” Things have changed but the prairie is still
sweet.

The next two lines repeat the nostalgic
lament.

But
the flower-fed buffaloes of the spring

Left us long ago,
(9-10)

The word choices in
the next line can be interpreted in one of two ways. If the buffalo “gore” and “bellow”
no more, this could mean that their absence is an unfortunate but necessary part of the
evolution of history. Also, and this interpretation is more accepted, since the buffalo
are gone, they are no longer being slaughtered. They are better off now. Native
Americans may have played a major role in killing them off, but westward expansion would
have pushed the buffalo and the Native Americans out
anyway.

This brings us to the final two
lines.

With
the Blackfeet lying low,

With the Pawnee lying low.
(12-13)

There are no more
buffalo to kill. But these last two lines echo the sentiment about the prairie flowers.
The buffalo may be gone but the flowers, Blackfeet and Pawnee are still there. So, there
are still traces of the past despite the onward marching of the locomotive of the
future. This poem looks back fondly and looks forward hopefully . You may even interpret
the semblance between the flowers and the Blackfeet and Pawnee as a plea to keep what
remains of the prairie’s past. Linsay was relatively liberal for his time, so I would
wager to say that he was commenting on the dwindling Native American
population.