Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Jorie Graham's poem "For One Must Want / To Shut the Other's Gaze" is a richly enigmatic work that demands a deep engagement with its fragmented, almost stream-of-consciousness form. This poem operates at the intersection of thought and feeling, constantly shifting between abstract concepts and concrete imagery to explore the complexities of perception, memory, and communication.

The poem opens with a question: "What are you thinking?" This inquiry immediately positions the reader in a place of introspection, encouraging them to consider their own thoughts and how they relate to the imagery and ideas presented in the poem. The next lines, "Here on the bottom? What do you squint clear for yourself up there through the surface?" suggest a duality between depth and surface, perhaps indicative of the conscious and subconscious mind or the internal versus external world.

Graham then introduces a series of commands and questions: "Explain door ajar. Explain hopeth all. Explain surface future subject-of." These lines are cryptic, urging the reader to find meaning in what appears to be a disconnected string of thoughts. The phrase "Explain door ajar" could symbolize an openness or a threshold between two states of being. "Explain hopeth all" seems to evoke a biblical or archaic tone, imbuing the line with a sense of timelessness and universal longing. "Explain surface future subject-of" introduces the idea of looking ahead, of a future that is being shaped by the present.

The poem's structure is punctuated by parenthetical asides such as "(Let's wade again)" and "(Offstage: stones placing themselves on eyes)," which create a sense of a theatrical performance or a dialogue. These asides add to the fragmented nature of the poem, suggesting that there are multiple layers of reality and meaning at play.

The recurring demand for explanations—"Explain saturated. Explain and I had no more eyes."—highlights a desire for understanding and clarity. However, the phrase "I had no more eyes" suggests a loss of vision or perception, perhaps indicating the limits of human understanding. This tension between the desire to understand and the inherent limitations of perception is a central theme of the poem.

The lines "(Oh did they really cross the sea) / Even the least / Even the last / This is certain / (of course) (take up the arms) (name the place)" weave in elements of myth and history, invoking a sense of collective memory and shared human experience. The crossing of the sea could refer to epic journeys or migrations, symbolizing both literal and metaphorical passages.

The poem ends with the same question it began with: "What are you thinking?" This cyclical structure emphasizes the ongoing, perhaps unresolvable nature of the inquiry. It suggests that the quest for understanding and meaning is a continuous process, one that circles back on itself and demands constant re-examination.

In "For One Must Want / To Shut the Other's Gaze," Jorie Graham employs a fragmented, multi-layered approach to explore the complexities of thought, perception, and communication. The poem resists easy interpretation, instead inviting the reader to engage deeply with its abstract and evocative language. Through its shifting perspectives and recurring demands for explanation, the poem captures the elusive nature of meaning and the perpetual human quest for understanding.

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