Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Philip Levine's "My Mother with Purse the Summer They Murdered the Spanish Poet" is a poignant and deeply layered exploration of memory, grief, and the interwoven threads of personal and historical tragedy. Through vivid imagery and a contemplative narrative, Levine captures the intimate moment of a mother preparing to visit her deceased husband's grave, set against the backdrop of the murder of Federico García Lorca during the Spanish Civil War.

The poem begins by situating the mother in a quiet, suburban setting: "Had she looked out the window she would have seen a quiet street, each house with a single maple or elm browning in the sun at the end of summer." This tranquil, almost idyllic scene contrasts sharply with the inner turmoil and sorrow that the mother carries. The mention of "the black Fords and Plymouths gleaming in their fresh wax" and "the neighbor children returning home dark-suited or white-frocked from their Christian studies" reinforces the sense of normalcy and routine that envelops her grief.

As the mother prepares to leave, she carefully checks the contents of her purse: "mirror, lipstick, billfold, her cards of identity, her checkbook with the week's balance correctly entered, two monogrammed, embroidered handkerchiefs." This meticulous attention to detail underscores her need for control and order in the face of overwhelming loss. The handkerchiefs, intended "to blot and hold the tears," symbolize her attempt to manage her emotions as she embarks on this painful journey.

The poem then delves into the mother's deeper emotional state as she prepares to visit her husband's grave: "dark-veiled, she's on her way to meet her husband, gone three years now into the sour earth of Michigan." The imagery of the "sour earth" conveys a sense of decay and the harsh reality of death. Levine contemplates whether the "long white root a man in time becomes" can "talk back to one who chose to stay on the far shore of his departure," highlighting the spiritual and emotional distance between the living and the dead.

The mother’s preparations and rituals for the visit are imbued with a sense of solemnity and reverence. She will "hunch over tea leaves," "open her palms," and engage in a form of divination or introspection, seeking answers and solace. Levine's description of her actions—"to see, she will close her eyes; to hear, she will stop her ears"—suggests that true understanding and communication transcend ordinary sensory experience.

The poem shifts to a broader historical context, subtly linking the mother's personal grief with the larger tragedy of García Lorca's murder in 1936. Levine evokes a sense of temporal and spatial overlap: "It is summer, 1936. The first hints of autumn mist on a row of curtained windows that look in on us." This temporal marker connects the mother's loss with the historical moment of Lorca's death, suggesting that personal and collective tragedies are intertwined.

Levine describes the poet’s final moments with stark, haunting imagery: "Wide-eyed he sees nothing. White shirt worn open, dark trousers with no belt, the olive skin appalled." The poet's futile attempt to "rub away" the wind he once loved captures the brutality and senselessness of his murder. The scene of men waiting and smoking, and the stilled trees, adds to the atmosphere of foreboding and finality.

As the poem returns to the mother, Levine imagines what she might have seen had she looked out the window: "each house with its elm or maple burning, the children drowning in the end of summer, the mist blurring the eyes of our front windows." This imagery conflates the suburban landscape with the historical and personal tragedies, creating a powerful fusion of the ordinary and the catastrophic.

The poem concludes with the mother's act of closing her purse: "Her purse snaps shut." This simple, final gesture encapsulates the complexity of her emotions and the burdens she carries, both personal and historical. It signifies her readiness to face the day, despite the weight of her grief and the memories of a world in turmoil.

"My Mother with Purse the Summer They Murdered the Spanish Poet" is a masterful meditation on loss, memory, and the interconnectedness of personal and historical suffering. Through his evocative imagery and thoughtful narrative, Levine invites readers to reflect on the enduring impact of grief and the ways in which individual lives are shaped by the larger currents of history.

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