Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Room Full of Used Baby Furniture for Sale," William Matthews contemplates the passage of time, memory, and the erasure of early childhood experiences. The poem begins with a vivid description of the furniture, stripped of the physical traces of its past use. Matthews describes how the "colic scabs have been pried off," the "babypoop and drool wiped clean," and the "parents' fingerprints" scrubbed and painted over with "a cloudy cream." This imagery evokes a sense of cleansing and sanitization, suggesting an attempt to erase the history of these objects, much like the whitewashing of a space.

The color "cloudy cream" replacing the original "gleaming white" serves as a metaphor for the passage of time and the loss of purity or innocence. The reference to the robes of "the saved and babies" adds a layer of symbolism, invoking religious imagery of purity and salvation. This suggests a contrast between the idealized state of infancy and the lived reality that is far messier and more complex.

Matthews then reflects on the significance of the first two years of life, a period crucial to our development yet typically lost to conscious memory. He suggests that these formative years, which "made us what we are," might as well have been lived in this room filled with used baby furniture, now devoid of its original purpose and emotional weight. The objects, once central to the lives of infants and their families, now stand as silent witnesses to a past that is both intimate and inaccessible.

The poem's mood shifts to a contemplative and melancholic tone as the speaker observes the room "freckled by dust" in the late afternoon light. The light's angle, often associated with the end of the day, metaphorically suggests the passage of time and the nearing of an end or closure. The dust, an accumulation of time and neglect, further emphasizes the forgotten and abandoned nature of these once-cherished items.

Matthews poignantly captures a sense of loss and introspection in the closing lines, noting that "all that we forgot to be here / now, restive, brimmed with obscure tears." This suggests a deep, subconscious mourning for the lost time and experiences that cannot be recalled. The phrase "all that we forgot to be" highlights the missed potential and the parts of ourselves that have been left behind or unfulfilled. The "obscure tears" point to a sadness that is difficult to articulate or understand, stemming from the realization of the inevitability of forgetting and the impermanence of life.

"Room Full of Used Baby Furniture for Sale" is a meditation on the erasure of early memories and the passage of time. Matthews uses the metaphor of used baby furniture to explore themes of memory, identity, and the ephemeral nature of existence. The poem's imagery and reflective tone convey a poignant sense of loss and the bittersweet realization of the transient nature of life's earliest experiences. Through this exploration, Matthews invites readers to consider the ways in which we attempt to sanitize and forget the past, even as it continues to shape us in unseen and unremembered ways.

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