Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

YOU CAN HAVE IT, by PHILIP LEVINE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography

"You Can Have It" is a poem by Philip Levine, first published in 1980 in his collection "Ashes: Poems New and Old". The poem explores themes of memory, loss, and the human connection to place.

Explanation:

The speaker in the poem recounts a memory of driving with his brother in their hometown of Detroit. As they drive, the speaker's brother points out various landmarks and expresses his love for the city. The speaker, however, is filled with a sense of loss and longing for the past. He remembers the people and places that have disappeared or been destroyed, and realizes that he can never truly go back to the past. The poem ends with the speaker acknowledging that his brother's love for the city is genuine, but that he himself has a different relationship with Detroit.

Poetic Elements:

Form: Free verse
Imagery: The poem is rich in sensory details, particularly in its descriptions of the cityscape of Detroit and the memories it evokes.
Tone: The tone of the poem is nostalgic and melancholic, with a sense of longing for the past.
Repetition: The phrase "you can have it" is repeated throughout the poem, emphasizing the speaker's ambivalent feelings towards his hometown.

Conclusion:

"You Can Have It" is a poignant exploration of memory and loss, set against the backdrop of the changing cityscape of Detroit. The poem captures the complex relationship between people and place, and the ways in which our memories and experiences shape our understanding of the world around us.

Poem Snippet:

My brother comes home from work

and climbs the stairs to our room.

I can hear the bed groan and his shoes

drop one by one. You can have it, he says.

The moonlight streams in the window, and we talk

for an hour, about the big Sox game.