Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker's poem "Exile" is a haunting exploration of the themes of time, motherhood, loss, and the inescapable nature of separation and death. Through its stark and powerful imagery, the poem delves into the emotional landscape of a mother who is acutely aware of the transient nature of love and connection, especially with her child, and the inevitable distance that time will impose between them.

The poem begins with the image of a "downward turning touch" and "the cry of time," suggesting the relentless passage of time as a force that brings about decline and separation. The idea of "fire falling without sound" evokes a silent, consuming destruction, setting a somber tone that pervades the entire poem. This imagery of silent, almost invisible damage reflects the internal anguish that the speaker feels, an anguish that is not immediately visible to the outside world but is deeply felt within.

The line "plunge my hand in the wound" introduces a visceral, physical response to this emotional pain. The act of plunging one’s hand into a wound symbolizes an intimate engagement with suffering, perhaps a desire to feel the pain more acutely as a way of understanding or coping with it. This willingness to confront pain head-on reveals the depth of the speaker’s sorrow and the intensity of her emotional connection to the suffering around her.

Ostriker then shifts to the external world with "children marching and dying," a stark reference to the broader human suffering and the helplessness the speaker feels in the face of it. The speaker acknowledges her own impotence, stating "all that I do is a crime / because I do not reach / their mouths silently crying." Here, the poet wrestles with guilt and the recognition of her limitations—her inability to alleviate the pain and suffering of others, which she perceives as a personal failure or even a crime.

The poem then turns inward again to the intimate bond between the speaker and her child. "My boychild reaches with his mouth / it is easy, being a mother / his skin is tender and soft / kisses stitch us together." This tender imagery contrasts with the earlier harshness, offering a moment of warmth and connection. The physical closeness between mother and child is portrayed as something simple and natural, yet profoundly meaningful—each kiss serving as a thread that binds them together in love.

However, this connection is not permanent. The poem acknowledges the inevitable passage of time that will lead to separation: "we love as long as we may / then come years without kisses / when he will turn away / not to waste breath." The mother anticipates the day when her son will grow up and distance himself from her, no longer needing the close physical bond that once defined their relationship. This foresight of emotional and physical separation evokes a deep sense of loss and inevitability.

The final stanza returns to the themes of exile and death, with the mother envisioning her own decline: "when I too will fall / embracing a pillow at night / touching the stone of exile / reaching my hand to death." The "stone of exile" serves as a metaphor for the cold, hard reality of isolation and separation, perhaps not just from her child but from life itself. The image of reaching out to death suggests a resignation to the inevitable end, where all connections, even the most profound ones, ultimately dissolve.

"Exile" captures the duality of human experience—the joy of love and connection, particularly in the bond between a mother and child, and the pain of inevitable separation and loss. Ostriker’s poem is a meditation on the transient nature of life and relationships, reminding the reader of the sorrow that accompanies the passage of time but also the tender moments that make the journey worthwhile. The poem leaves us with a powerful reflection on the nature of exile—not just as a physical displacement but as an emotional and existential condition that all humans must face.

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