Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Smile," Eileen Myles delves into the complex entanglement of emotions, relationships, and the passage of time that make up human existence. As with many of Myles' poems, the structure is free-flowing, enabling the narrative to twist and turn like a stream of consciousness. The style of the poem captures the everyday mundanities and deeper ruminations in a manner that reflects how they intrude upon each other in real life.

Myles opens with a focus on the everyday act of cooking, yet the mundane is tinged with foreboding: "It's just not as much fun without a good / light and a sharp knife / I mean leaning into the peach of / it." The reference to a 'sharp knife' and 'leaning into the peach of it' immediately sets a tone of discomfort, as something that should be so straightforward - cooking - becomes a metaphor for life's complexities and discomforts.

The narrative proceeds to examine relationships through ordinary experiences: "The drip in the kitchen is like / someone I know." Here, a dripping faucet becomes a character, a constant presence that is both annoying and familiar. This drip acquires more layers as it becomes associated with 'today's cold,' linking the environment and objects in it with emotional states.

As the poem moves along, Myles shifts to discuss larger existential concerns, equating the relentless 'drip' with life's pains and tribulations: "All these rhymes all the time." A moment of familial intimacy is invoked through "Mark Wahlberg was family," which quickly disintegrates into the realization that "Everyone's phony / and made up."

Myles juxtaposes the human condition against that of a dog, drawing attention to the agony that comes with human consciousness: "It's the agony / of being human. Not a dog who dies maybe six / times in the lives of her masters." While dogs may die and be reborn in the lives of their human caretakers, humans have but one life to grapple with their "enormous hurt."

The poem concludes with an embracing of the monstrosity that the speaker perceives in themselves and others: "Everyone's a monster like me. / Now I know everyone." The sense of universality in human suffering, imperfection, and 'monstrosity' becomes the dark epiphany at the end of the poem. It acknowledges the inherent flaws and complexities that make us human, a subject matter often dealt with in Myles' work.

In "Smile," Myles crafts a vivid tapestry of emotional and physical landscapes to explore the human condition. Through a series of fragmented images, thoughts, and reflections, the poem captures the essence of the 'agony of being human,' providing readers with a sharp, unsettling look at the rawness and vulnerability that come with existing in the world. It's a work that invites readers to confront their own internal landscapes, their own 'drips' and 'sharp knives,' compelling them to reflect on what it truly means to be human.

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