Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Bestiary U.S.A.: Gull," Anne Sexton crafts a poem that juxtaposes the freedom and vitality of a gull in flight with the poignant nostalgia and disillusionment of adulthood. Through vivid imagery and a deep emotional resonance, Sexton explores the tension between the innocence and simplicity of youth and the complex, sometimes bitter realities of adult life.

The poem begins by describing the gull with striking, unconventional metaphors: "You with your wings like spatulas, / letting the blue turn into sugar kisses." The comparison of the gull's wings to spatulas is unusual, evoking a sense of practicality and mundanity, yet these wings also possess a magical ability to transform the sky into "sugar kisses." This duality—combining the ordinary with the extraordinary—sets the tone for the entire poem, where the natural world is both familiar and otherworldly, imbued with a sense of wonder that harkens back to the speaker's childhood.

As the poem progresses, the gull is depicted performing a series of actions that blend the natural with the domestic: "letting the fog slip through your fingertips, / informing the lighthouse like turning on the oven." Here, the gull becomes a figure that bridges the gap between the wild, untamed elements of the sea and the controlled, comforting spaces of home. The image of the gull "informing the lighthouse" suggests a guiding, almost maternal presence, while "turning on the oven" brings to mind warmth and nourishment, reinforcing the idea of the gull as a caretaker of sorts, a guardian of both the natural world and the speaker's memories.

The poem then shifts into a more mournful tone as the gull is described "sobbing at the fish over the Atlantic, / crying out like young girls in fevers and chills." These lines suggest a deep sorrow or longing, as the gull's cries are likened to those of sick children, evoking a sense of vulnerability and helplessness. The repetition of "crying out" reinforces this emotional intensity, as the gull's lamentations are compared to various forms of human suffering and expression: "crying out like friends who sing from the tavern / of fighting hands," and "crying out, like a goat with / its mouth full of pearls." These similes connect the gull's cries to the human experience, particularly the experiences of pain, camaraderie, and the search for meaning or relief.

In the second half of the poem, the speaker's personal connection to the gull becomes more explicit: "Oh Gull of my childhood, / cry over my window over and over, take me back." The gull is not just a bird, but a symbol of the speaker's lost youth, a time when life was simpler and more easily remedied—when "the man following you was not a tail / but an uncle," and when "the death that came upon you / when you were thirsty was solved by a Coke." These lines capture the innocence and naivety of childhood, where dangers were benign, and problems could be easily resolved. The speaker longs to return to this time, invoking the gull as a bridge to that lost world.

However, the poem concludes on a note of resignation and disillusionment: "but what can be done gull gull when you turn the sun / on again, a dead fruit / and all that flies today / is crooked and vain and has been cut from a book." The repetition of "gull gull" emphasizes the futility of the speaker's longing, as the natural world, once full of life and possibility, now seems lifeless and artificial. The "sun" is now a "dead fruit," a symbol of lost vitality, and "all that flies today" is no longer wild and free but "crooked and vain," suggesting a world that has lost its authenticity and spirit. The phrase "cut from a book" implies that the life and vibrancy once found in nature have been reduced to something merely literary or imagined, lacking the substance and immediacy of the real world.

Through "Bestiary U.S.A.: Gull," Sexton explores themes of loss, memory, and the disillusionment that often accompanies the transition from childhood to adulthood. The gull, as a central figure, embodies both the freedom and joy of youth and the inevitable sorrow of growing up. The poem captures the aching desire to return to a simpler, more innocent time, while also acknowledging the impossibility of recapturing what has been lost. In this way, Sexton's poem resonates with a deep emotional truth, reflecting the complexities of the human experience with her characteristic blend of lyrical beauty and poignant insight.

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