Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Denise Levertov’s poem "Obsessions" is a profound exploration of memory, place, and the intense experiences that define our lives. Through vivid imagery and reflective tone, Levertov delves into the idea that certain places hold powerful, transformative moments, whether they are cities full of memories or wide, open lands where passions run wild.

The poem begins with a contemplation: "Maybe it is true we have to return to the black air of ashcan city / because it is there the most life was burned, / as ghosts or criminals return?" This opening line suggests a compulsion to revisit past places where significant, perhaps painful, experiences occurred. The comparison to "ghosts or criminals" implies a haunting quality, as if these places still hold part of the speaker's soul, demanding a return for resolution or reconciliation.

Levertov immediately counters this notion with a broader perspective: "But no, the city has no monopoly of intense life." This statement opens the poem to the idea that intense, transformative experiences are not confined to one place. The speaker reflects on the "dust burned / golden or violet in the wide land to which we ran away," evoking the beauty and intensity found in nature and open spaces. This imagery contrasts sharply with the "black air of ashcan city," suggesting that passion and life are just as potent in the countryside as in urban settings.

The poem continues to explore this duality: "images of passion sprang out of the land as whirlwinds or red flowers," depicting the natural world's capacity to evoke strong emotions and memories. The "whirlwinds" and "red flowers" symbolize chaotic and beautiful moments of passion and life that occur outside the confines of the city.

Levertov then brings the focus to a deeply personal level: "your hands opened in anguish or clenched in violence under that sun, / and clasped my hands in that place to which we will not return." This line conveys the raw, emotional interactions that took place in this remembered landscape. The physical connection of hands clasping in both anguish and violence suggests a relationship marked by intense and conflicting emotions, experienced in the openness of nature.

The poem culminates in the recognition of the lasting impact of these experiences: "where so much happened that no one else noticed, / where the city's ashes that we brought with us flew into the intense sky still burning." This final image ties the memories of the city with those of the open land, showing how the past continues to influence the present. The "city's ashes" represent the remnants of past experiences and traumas that the speaker carries with them, which mix with new experiences in the "intense sky," symbolizing the ever-burning nature of these memories and passions.

"Obsessions" by Denise Levertov is a meditation on the places that shape our most intense experiences and the way these memories follow us, regardless of where we go. Through contrasting imagery of urban and rural landscapes, Levertov emphasizes that profound moments of life and passion are not confined to one place but are an intrinsic part of the human experience. The poem captures the haunting persistence of these memories and their ability to continue burning within us, influencing our lives and relationships.

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