Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Philip Levine's "Salt" is a poignant meditation on solitude, loss, and the passage of time, using the setting of an empty airport as a backdrop. Through the lens of a single woman's enduring sorrow, Levine captures the transient nature of human connections and the inevitability of separation.

The poem begins with a scene of desolation: "This one woman has been sobbing for hours. The last plane has gone, and no one is left except the porter mopping the floors and an old woman cleaning out the ash trays and wiping the chrome handles of the chairs." This imagery sets a somber tone, emphasizing the emptiness and the lingering presence of the woman's grief amidst the mundane tasks of the remaining staff. The repeated mention of her continuous sobbing underscores the depth of her sorrow and the isolation she feels.

Levine paints a vivid picture of the quiet, almost eerie stillness of the airport: "No one has asked her to leave because there are no more flights and even the cop down the tiled hall has fallen asleep." The absence of flights and the sleeping cop amplify the sense of abandonment and stillness, heightening the woman's solitary experience. The contrast between her active mourning and the dormant surroundings highlights the intensity of her emotions.

The poem then shifts its focus to the plane that has already departed, symbolizing the passage of time and the movement of life away from the stationary figure of the grieving woman: "The plane has by now entered the night somewhere between Chicago and Cleveland, and below the lights of cities are going on and off or perhaps there are cloud banks or perhaps the man in the window seat is blinking his eyes." Levine’s descriptions capture the continuous, indifferent motion of the world outside, contrasting sharply with the woman's static state.

The poem’s contemplation of death and the unknown echoes through the thoughts of the passengers: "No one will think, Thus did the Angel of Death before he descended upon Egypt only to find the Egyptians, though many will think of death as the darkness below." This line evokes biblical imagery, linking the sense of travel and transition to existential thoughts about mortality and the afterlife. The potential for disaster—"while there is still time to die all at once in a great jellied ball of fire"—introduces a fleeting moment of shared vulnerability among the passengers.

As the poem continues, Levine reflects on the dispersal of the passengers upon landing: "Landing, the passengers scatter in all directions and disappear into the city in cabs, on buses, in subway cars." This scattering symbolizes the fragmentation of human connections and the fleeting nature of encounters. The image of a man standing in the drizzle, hurrying home to his family, contrasts with the grieving woman’s prolonged solitude: "One man stands in the faint drizzle and puts on his rain coat and hat. If he hurries he can be home by dinner, and he and his kids can watch television."

Levine deepens the meditation on loss and routine with the scene of the family watching television until they "fall asleep before the set and dream of those dark stretches that redeem nothing at all or of the rain that hangs above the city swollen with red particles of burned air." This image speaks to the monotony and emptiness that can pervade everyday life, even within the comfort of family.

The poem concludes with a reflection on the inevitability and constancy of tears: "One of them, perhaps the father, may even dream of tears which must always fall because water and salt were given us at birth to make what we could of them, and being what we are we chose love and having found it we lost it over and over." Here, Levine ties the physical composition of tears—water and salt—to the emotional experiences that define humanity. The cyclical nature of love and loss is encapsulated in this final image, suggesting that sorrow is an intrinsic part of the human condition, woven into the fabric of existence from birth.

"Salt" by Philip Levine is a contemplative and evocative poem that captures the profound sadness of human separation and the enduring nature of grief. Through rich imagery and reflective narrative, Levine explores the intersection of personal sorrow and the broader, indifferent movement of the world, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences of love, loss, and the passage of time.

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