Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Philip Levine's "A Woman Waking" is a poignant exploration of memory, loss, and the passage of time. The poem captures the quiet, introspective moments of a woman as she wakes and reflects on her past and present, drawing a stark contrast between her childhood and her current solitude.

The poem begins with a vivid recollection of the woman's father: "She wakens early remembering her father / rising in the dark / lighting the stove with a match / scraped on the floor." This memory is rich with sensory detail, evoking the warmth and routine of her childhood mornings. The father's actions are deliberate and caring, from "measuring water for coffee" to the familiar sounds of "drying spoons, dropping them one by one in the drawer." These small, everyday actions highlight the intimacy and comfort of those early mornings.

The memory continues with the father's gentle wake-up ritual: "Then he was on the stairs going for the milk. / So soon he would be at her door / to wake her gently, he thought, / with a hand at her nape, shaking to and fro, / smelling of gasoline and whispering. / Then he left." This tender moment underscores the father's loving care, even as it is tinged with the harsh smell of gasoline, hinting at the laborious work that likely filled his days.

As the woman shakes off this memory, the present intrudes: "Now she shakes her head, shakes him away and will not rise." The refusal to get up suggests a reluctance to face the day and the reality of her current life, which starkly contrasts with the warmth and routine of her childhood.

The scene shifts to her present surroundings: "There is fog at the window / and thickening the high branches of the sycamores." The fog and the sycamores create a sense of obscurity and distance, reflecting her emotional state. She thinks of her own kitchen, "the dishwasher yawning open, / the dripping carton left on the counter," which depicts a sense of neglect and disarray, contrasting sharply with the orderly mornings of her past.

Her thoughts turn to her children: "Her boys have gone off steaming like sheep. / Were they here last night? / Where do they live? she wonders, with whom? Are they home?" These questions convey her disconnection and uncertainty about her children's lives, emphasizing her isolation and the passage of time.

In her yard, a young plum tree "drops its first yellow leaf," symbolizing the inevitability of change and the onset of decay. She listens and hears nothing, reinforcing her solitude: "If she rose and walked barefoot on the wood floor / no one would come to lead her back to bed / or give her a glass of water."

The poem closes with a somber reflection on her loneliness: "If she boiled an egg it would darken before her eyes. / The sky tires and turns away without a word." The cold pillow beside her and the "old odour of soap" are stark reminders of absence, perhaps of a partner who is no longer there. Her hands are cold, and she questions the time, underscoring her disorientation and sense of being lost in her own life.

In "A Woman Waking," Levine masterfully contrasts the warmth and comfort of the woman's childhood with the cold and disarray of her present. The poem captures the passage of time and the profound sense of loss and isolation that can accompany it. Through rich, sensory detail and introspective reflection, Levine evokes a deep emotional response, inviting readers to contemplate the ways in which our past shapes our present and the enduring impact of memory.

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