Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Gregg's "The Small Thing Love Is" delves into the complex and often contradictory nature of love, desire, and the darker, more primal forces that underlie human relationships. Through evocative imagery and a reflective tone, Gregg explores the interplay between lust, longing, and the more profound emotions that shape our experiences of love.

The poem opens with a vivid declaration of the speaker's state: "My body is filled by a summer of lust." This sets the stage for an exploration of the intense, almost overwhelming physical desire that characterizes the speaker's experience. The inability to differentiate between "desire, longing, and all the sweet speeches love hoards" highlights the confusion and intermingling of these emotions, suggesting that love is not a singular, easily defined feeling but a complex amalgamation of various impulses and expressions.

Gregg's use of sensory details enhances the poem's emotional depth. The phrase "something deeper grinds its teeth on metal" introduces a sense of underlying tension and unease. This imagery evokes the harsh, relentless nature of deeper emotions that can sometimes "mock and preen" in cold, sterile environments. The breaking glass and the women in rich gowns further emphasize a world of opulence and fragility, where external appearances often mask internal struggles and conflicts.

The juxtaposition of "Death mating with Beauty" introduces a powerful and unsettling contrast. Here, Gregg seems to suggest that love and desire are intrinsically linked to mortality and the more primal aspects of human existence. The "night roaring" and the cathedral standing firm against this tumultuous force symbolize the eternal struggle between order and chaos, spirituality and physicality.

The poem's climax, describing the "wet couple undone by a power only the earth could love," brings these themes to a head. The raw, elemental power of nature—represented by the earth—stands in stark contrast to the constructed, often superficial nature of human love and desire. This imagery suggests that true, unrestrained passion is a force of nature, untamable and beyond human control or comprehension.

Gregg's exploration of love in this poem is both deeply personal and universally relatable. She captures the intensity and confusion that often accompany love and desire, while also highlighting the darker, more destructive aspects that can lurk beneath the surface. The poem's concluding lines underscore the inevitability and power of these emotions, suggesting that they are an integral part of the human experience, regardless of how they are framed or understood.

In "The Small Thing Love Is," Linda Gregg offers a nuanced and compelling meditation on the nature of love and desire. Through her masterful use of imagery and language, she invites readers to reflect on their own experiences and perceptions of these fundamental aspects of life. The poem serves as a reminder that love, in all its forms, is both a powerful and a fragile force, capable of bringing both joy and turmoil.

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