Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy’s poem “In Which She Begs (Like Everybody Else) That Love May Last” is a heartfelt plea for enduring love, juxtaposed against the natural cycles of blooming flowers. Through vivid imagery and a profound emotional core, Piercy explores the desire for love to transcend time and seasons, reflecting the speaker’s insatiable yearning and boundless affection.

The poem opens with the lilac in bloom, filling the air with its fragrance: “The lilac blooms now in May, / our bed awash with its fragrance.” This image of the lilac, a symbol of spring and renewal, sets the tone for the poem, suggesting a fresh and vibrant love. The bed “awash with its fragrance” implies that this love permeates the most intimate spaces of their life, creating a sense of immersion and unity.

Piercy then shifts to the buds of peony and poppy, which “swell / toward cracking, slivers of color / bulging like a flash of eye / from someone pretending to sleep.” These lines convey the anticipation and potential of new growth, mirroring the stages of love that unfold over time. The comparison to “a flash of eye” adds a human element, suggesting moments of awareness and awakening within the relationship.

The poem continues with a reflection on the cyclical nature of the garden: “Each in its garden slot, each / in its season, crocus gives way / to daffodil, through to fall / monkshood and chrysanthemum.” This orderly progression of flowers through the seasons symbolizes the natural rhythm of life and love, where each phase follows the other in a predictable pattern. However, the speaker’s desire transcends these natural boundaries.

In a striking contrast, the speaker identifies herself as “the wicked rose / that wants to bloom all year.” The term “wicked” suggests a deviation from the natural order, a rebelliousness against the constraints of time and season. This metaphor highlights the speaker’s insatiable longing and her refusal to accept the temporal limitations of love. Her declaration, “I am never replete with loving / you,” emphasizes an unending desire, where satisfaction only deepens her need.

The speaker’s yearning is further expressed in the lines, “I want / to blossom out with my joy of you / in March, in July, in October.” This desire to “blossom out” in every season reflects a wish for love to be ever-present and ever-renewing, defying the natural cycles that govern other aspects of life. The imagery of dropping “my red red / petals on the hard black ice” powerfully encapsulates this longing. The red petals, a symbol of passion and vitality, falling on the stark, unforgiving ice, convey a sense of persistence and defiance, a vivid portrayal of love’s resilience against the coldness and harshness of time.

In summary, “In Which She Begs (Like Everybody Else) That Love May Last” by Marge Piercy is a poignant and evocative meditation on the desire for enduring love. Through rich and sensory imagery, Piercy contrasts the natural cycles of blooming flowers with the speaker’s insatiable yearning for love that defies time and seasons. The poem beautifully captures the tension between natural order and human desire, ultimately presenting a powerful plea for love’s permanence amidst the inevitable changes of life.