Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Carolyn Kizer’s "Streets of Pearl and Gold" is a vivid, multi-layered exploration of the relationship between art and life, the degradation of urban spaces, and the impermanence of human endeavors. The poem juxtaposes the intimate, almost sacred space of the artist’s studio with the harsh, deteriorating reality of the city outside, drawing a stark contrast between creation and decay, permanence and transience.

The poem opens with a portrayal of the artist’s studio, a sanctuary of order and creativity: "Within, walls white as canvas stretched to stain; / A tabula rasa clean as a stripped bed." This setting is pristine, untouched, and brimming with potential, reflecting the artist’s inner world. The painter’s tools are described as "Harmoniously fixed, like palette clots," suggesting both the meticulous nature of artistic practice and the latent chaos within. The artist, "Naked and fierce, dressed only in his paint," embodies the raw, unfiltered essence of creation, isolated from the outside world’s encroachments.

The speaker’s relationship with the artist is intimate and symbiotic, as evidenced by the lines, "While I sit careless on the bed; I float / Posing as Venus in a pearly boat." Here, the muse and the creator are intertwined in a dance of inspiration and creation, dreaming wide and deep, diving into profound seas of imagination and emotion. The phrase "How wide we dream!" encapsulates the boundless nature of their shared vision, one that transcends the mundane and reaches for the sublime.

In stark contrast, the poem shifts to the external world, where "the buildings kneel as if yielding up / To the levelers their infirm confessions." This imagery evokes a sense of surrender and decay, as if the urban landscape itself is confessing its failures and degradation. The absence of "rats or roaches" and the "old staled odors of man's functioning" suggests a loss of vitality, a place that once thrived but now stands as a testament to past glories and present desolation.

Kizer delves into the historical and social context, painting a picture of a city that has undergone significant transformations: "Later, these first buildings failed in form / When they admitted to their broken cells / Child-sweat and chilblain, women laboring / Hook-shouldered, early deformed by the machine." This passage highlights the industrial exploitation and the human suffering embedded within the city’s walls. The buildings, once symbols of hope and progress, have become "a cave of pain," reflecting the broader societal issues of labor and inequality.

The poem continues to oscillate between the personal and the public, the intimate and the communal. The description of "Sun dust" and "Noon is noiseless" creates an almost surreal atmosphere, where time seems to stand still, and the city is enveloped in a haze of inertia. The wino, who "crawls onto a briny tray," becomes a symbol of the city’s forgotten and marginalized, embodying the human cost of urban decay.

As the poem progresses, the artist’s internal world and the external reality collide: "Observe the world with desperate affection; / Snatch up your brush to catch it, fix it all / On canvases which, stacked against a wall, / Dozen on dozen, are crumbling unseen." The artist’s struggle to capture and preserve fleeting moments of beauty and truth against the backdrop of inevitable decay is a central theme. The act of painting becomes a form of resistance, a way to bear witness and assert meaning in a world marked by loss and disintegration.

The final lines of the poem, "So stamp your canvas with the X of loss, / Art mutilated, stained with abuse and rage. / But mark it also as the cross of love," encapsulate the dual nature of art as both a record of suffering and a testament to enduring love. The cross, a symbol of both sacrifice and redemption, signifies the artist’s commitment to capturing the complexities of human experience, even in the face of overwhelming adversity.

"Streets of Pearl and Gold" is a powerful meditation on the role of the artist in a world fraught with decay and despair. Through rich imagery and profound insights, Kizer explores the intersections of art, history, and personal experience, offering a poignant reflection on the human condition and the transformative power of creativity.