Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Mark Jarman's poem "Though We No Longer Possess It" poignantly explores themes of identity, intimacy, and loss through a stark, contemplative reflection on physicality and memory. The poem's central concern is the enduring connection between two people despite the absence or transformation of their physical forms.

The poem opens with a haunting question: "Would you know me, my body at least, if I had become only that: a mound under a sheet." This line immediately evokes the image of death and the anonymity of a body devoid of its animating features. The speaker speculates on the ability of their partner to recognize them in such a state, emphasizing the loss of identity markers such as voice and the expressive nature of the eyes.

The speaker further delves into the notion of recognition without the usual identifiers: "Without the disguise of my voice. Without that look you could never be sure of, moving about in my eyes." Here, Jarman highlights the ephemeral and unique aspects of personal identity that are lost when reduced to mere physicality. The "disguise" of the voice and the uncertain look in the eyes are integral parts of what makes the speaker recognizable to their partner.

The imagery becomes more intimate and visceral as the poem continues: "Stripped and stretched out on a slab, I would be all you could ever identify." The starkness of the image—being laid out on a mortuary slab—forces a confrontation with the idea of knowing and being known purely through the physical form, stripped of the life and personality that once animated it.

Jarman then shifts focus to the partner, contemplating the marks of their shared intimacy: "I know, if asked to give your body a name, any mark I had left on you would be gone or too secret to touch." This line acknowledges the transient nature of physical marks and the deeper, more elusive imprints of emotional and experiential connections. The intimate acts that once defined their closeness are now memories, intangible and inaccessible.

The poem continues to explore the physical aspects of their relationship: "Without your hands on my hips. Without my tongue in your mouth. Your back against stone, I could believe the cold in your skin." These lines evoke the sensory experiences of intimacy, juxtaposed with the cold reality of absence and death. The speaker imagines identifying their partner's lifeless body, recognizing the familiar hands now devoid of warmth and life.

In a powerful metaphor, Jarman describes their embrace as now encompassing "a thin crust of emptiness." This image conveys the profound sense of loss and the hollow space left by the absence of their shared physical and emotional presence. The notion of "some cast-off life" being entangled with their own underscores the idea that past connections continue to resonate even when the physical reality has changed.

The poem concludes with a reflection on the persistence of memory and recognition: "Called on to say if some cast-off life was ever entangled with one of our own, it would merely mean recognition: coming back / to a room we have left, and saying, that bed is still a bed though we no longer possess it." This ending encapsulates the idea that physical objects and spaces retain their identity and meaning even after we have moved on. The bed, a symbol of their intimate relationship, remains a bed despite their absence, symbolizing the enduring nature of their connection.

In "Though We No Longer Possess It," Mark Jarman masterfully navigates the complexities of identity, intimacy, and loss. Through vivid imagery and reflective language, the poem invites readers to consider how deeply we are intertwined with those we love and how these connections persist in memory and recognition, even when physical presence fades. The poem serves as a poignant meditation on the enduring power of love and the traces it leaves behind.

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