Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In the poem "Hesitate to Call," Louise Gluck delves into the complexities and paradoxes of love, particularly a love that has turned corrosive. Through stark language and vivid imagery, the poet explores themes of betrayal, inner conflict, and lingering emotional attachment. Although the poem is relatively short, it covers an emotional expanse that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the dissonance between love and the reality of a faltering relationship.

The opening lines, "Lived to see you throwing / Me aside," immediately set the tone of disillusionment and betrayal. It's a sentiment most can identify with-the startling, painful moment of realizing a relationship is irrevocably changed or lost. The words "Lived to see" emphasize the element of survival, as if witnessing this betrayal is a kind of endurance test for the speaker.

The phrase "That fought / Like netted fish inside me" employs a vivid metaphor that encapsulates the sense of struggle and entrapment. It isn't just the speaker's emotions that are in turmoil; there is a sense that the speaker's very being is in a state of upheaval. The term "netted fish" implies a catch that is trapped and will ultimately be killed, much like the love or hope that once existed.

"Saw you throbbing / In my syrups" implies an intimacy, a closeness that used to be sweet and comforting. The word "syrups" may stand for the emotional and perhaps physical sweetness that love brings, but that sweetness now has a different context, one that is mixed with pain and betrayal.

With the lines "That all flushed down / The refuse," the poem hints at a sense of waste, as if the cherished emotions and experiences have been relegated to garbage. The word "refuse" not only means waste but can also imply rejection, which adds another layer to the sense of loss and disposal.

The closing lines, "It lives in me. / You live in me. Malignant. / Love, you ever want me, don't," are a punch to the gut. They convey the dual reality that the love and the lover live on in the speaker, but they are no longer sources of joy; instead, they have turned "malignant," like a cancer. The speaker addresses love itself, warning it away, as if saying, 'If you ever want to love me again, don't,' signaling a kind of resignation and defeat.

Despite its brevity, "Hesitate to Call" encapsulates the complex and often contradictory emotions involved in a deteriorating relationship. Louise Gluck's unflinching look at love's darker side reveals the human ability to hold multiple truths: to both love and despise, to feel both attached and repelled. The poem stands as a testament to love's capacity to both elevate and destroy, often in the same breath.

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