Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Skein" by Carolyn Kizer is an evocative exploration of longing and the persistent ache of an old, unresolved love. Using the imagery of moonlight, gauze curtains, and a scarf, the poem conveys the speaker's deep-seated melancholy and the way memory binds them to the past. Drawing from a poem by Emperor Wu-ti, Kizer infuses the verses with a timeless quality, bridging the emotional experiences of the past with the present.

The poem begins with a description of moonlight filtering through gauze curtains, transforming them into various metaphorical objects: "nets for snaring wild birds," "woven traps," and "shrouds." These images suggest a sense of entrapment and mourning, as the curtains become symbolic of the speaker's emotions. The moonlight, typically associated with tranquility, here exacerbates the "old, restless grief" that keeps the speaker awake.

The speaker's physical restlessness is mirrored by their actions: wandering around, holding and manipulating a scarf or shawl. This repetitive action of folding and shaking out the fabric underscores the futility and cyclical nature of their grief. The scarf becomes a tangible manifestation of their longing, something to occupy their hands and mind in the stillness of the night.

The lines "Everyone says my old lover is happy. / I wish they would say he is coming back to me" poignantly capture the speaker's internal conflict. The happiness of the old lover, as reported by others, is a source of pain rather than solace. The speaker's desire for the return of the lover is a wish for resolution and closure that remains unfulfilled. This longing is further emphasized by the scarf, described as "like a skein of yarn / Binding my two hands loosely." The loose binding signifies the speaker's tenuous hold on hope and the constant pull of memory.

The poem shifts to the act of memorization, as the speaker turns to the solace of words: "So I memorize these lines, / Dew on the scarf, dappling my nightdress also." The act of memorizing lines suggests a need to preserve the emotions and experiences associated with the lost love. The mention of dew on the scarf and nightdress adds a tactile element to the poem, reinforcing the pervasive sense of moisture and tears, as if the very fabric of the speaker's world is soaked in sorrow.

The final lines, "O love long gone, it is raining in our room! / So I memorize these lines, / ..................without salutation, without close," encapsulate the speaker's enduring sense of loss. The imagery of rain in the room blurs the boundaries between the external environment and the internal state of the speaker, suggesting that the grief and longing are omnipresent, infiltrating every aspect of their life. The absence of a formal salutation or close in the memorized lines implies that the emotional experience remains open-ended, unresolved, and eternal.

Through its rich imagery and emotional depth, "The Skein" by Carolyn Kizer captures the universal experience of longing and the ways in which memory and grief can ensnare and bind us. The poem's resonance lies in its ability to convey the lingering impact of lost love and the quiet, persistent hope for reunion, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.