Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Glass" by Carolyn Kizer is a short yet evocative poem that explores themes of time, love, and the transcendence of the self through intimate connection. The poem's vivid imagery and rhythmic structure work together to convey a profound experience of being lost in love and time.

The opening line, "Your body tolls the hour," immediately personifies the body as a timekeeper, suggesting that the lover's physical presence has a significant influence on the perception of time. This metaphor sets the stage for the central theme of the poem: the intersection of time and love. The idea that the body "tolls" the hour implies a rhythmic, almost ritualistic passage of time, which is further emphasized by the "hands spin round and round." Here, the hands likely refer to both the hands of a clock and the hands of the lovers, intertwining in a continuous motion.

The line "Your face, the focus of light, / Will burn me to the ground" introduces a powerful image of the lover's face as a source of intense illumination. The focus of light suggests clarity and enlightenment, but the intensity of the light is so great that it has the potential to consume the speaker entirely. This metaphor conveys the overwhelming nature of love and passion, hinting at the potential for both ecstasy and destruction.

"Losing ourselves in Love / Beneath this counterpane" presents an intimate setting where the lovers are united under a shared coverlet. The word "counterpane," an old-fashioned term for a bedspread, adds a sense of timelessness and tradition to their union. The act of losing themselves in love beneath this coverlet suggests a retreat from the external world into a private, intimate space where time and identity dissolve.

The phrase "Unwinding from its womb / To the all-consuming now" evokes a sense of rebirth and emergence. The lovers unwind from a place of origin, perhaps the safety and warmth of their bed, into the present moment, which is described as "all-consuming." This transition from a secure, enclosed space to an intense focus on the present underscores the transformative power of their love.

The repetition of "I die, I die eternally" in "All day today I die, I die eternally, / Losing myself in joy" emphasizes the cyclical and perpetual nature of the speaker's experience. The act of dying in joy suggests a surrender to the overwhelming feelings of love and passion, where each moment of joy is so intense that it feels like a small death. This paradoxical expression captures the idea of being so fully immersed in the moment that the self is repeatedly lost and reborn in the experience of love.

Finally, "By one touch you put out time" encapsulates the poem's central theme. The simple act of touch has the power to suspend time, allowing the lovers to exist in a timeless state of pure connection. This line highlights the transformative and transcendent power of love, which can momentarily free individuals from the constraints of time and self.

In "The Glass," Carolyn Kizer masterfully weaves together imagery and metaphor to explore the profound and transformative nature of love. Through the lens of time and intimate connection, the poem captures the fleeting yet eternal moments of joy and the dissolution of self that love can bring.