Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In the nineteenth entry of Adrienne Cecile Rich's "Twenty-One Love Poems," the poem grapples with the concept of change, both internal and external, as it pertains to relationships and the self. It addresses the uncertainties, complexities, and unflagging hope that come with choosing to share life with another, especially when the poem hints at the context of same-sex love. Rich paints a raw yet tender portrait of love's landscape, acknowledging the struggle to balance individuality with commitment, against a backdrop of social challenges.

The speaker starts by pondering a sense of internal change, asking, "Can it be growing colder when I begin / to touch myself again, adhesion pull away?" Here, "colder" might refer to emotional or spiritual distance, possibly from one's partner. The question addresses a paradox: the self is understood more deeply through introspection, yet this individual focus can create emotional distance in a relationship.

The speaker continues to explore this duality, shifting the gaze "from staring backward / and looks into the present." To look into "the eye of winter, city, anger, poverty, and death" is to confront not just personal challenges but societal and existential ones as well. Here, Rich widens the scope to encompass the contextual difficulties-social, economic, and perhaps political-that provide the setting for this love story. "The lips part and say: I mean to go on living?" The line captures the steely resolve to continue despite all obstacles, a testament to the will to live and love.

The speaker states in unequivocal terms, "There are no miracles," possibly alluding to the challenging realities of maintaining a relationship. This line captures the daily effort, the absence of magical solutions in the sphere of love, especially love between "two women together," which is described as "a work / nothing in civilization has made simple." The complexity is not only due to emotional intricacies but also, perhaps, to societal stigmas surrounding non-heteronormative relationships.

Rich describes this relationship as "heroic in its ordinariness," which might be one of the most striking lines of the poem. The word "heroic" traditionally connotes epic struggles and grand deeds but here is used to underline the significance of the everyday efforts needed to maintain a relationship. Love is depicted as "the slow-picked, halting traverse of a pitch," suggesting that it is akin to a precarious but deliberate ascent, requiring "the fiercest attention."

Ultimately, this poem speaks to the courage it takes to engage in relationships amid complexities, both within the self and within a societal framework that doesn't always make room for such bonds. It's a tribute to the "work" of love, the everyday heroism that Rich identifies as fundamental to the human experience. Her lyrical exploration compels the reader to see relationships, with all their ordinary struggles, as undeniably extraordinary.

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