Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"First Hour" by Sharon Olds is a tender exploration of the earliest moments of life, capturing the newborn's state of being just after birth. The poem poignantly reflects on the profound innocence, purity, and freedom experienced in that initial hour, untouched by the relationships and emotions that will later define human existence.

The poem begins with the speaker's assertion that, in that first hour, they were most themselves. This statement sets the tone for the exploration of a state of pure existence, free from the influences of the external world. The metaphor of "shrugging my mother slowly off" suggests the physical and symbolic separation from the mother, indicating the beginning of individual existence. The newborn, newly independent, experiences the world for the first time, taking in their first breaths as if being "blown... like a bubble" by the air. This imagery conveys a sense of fragility and delicacy, as well as the novelty of the experience.

Olds captures the sensation of being alive in these first moments with a focus on sensory details. The newborn feels the air as a "caress," and the "creamy blood" of the mother still scents their skin. The air, softly touching the skin and entering the body, elicits "little sighs" that the newborn does not yet recognize as their own. This illustrates the innocence and lack of self-awareness at this stage, where the boundaries between self and environment are still undefined.

The speaker emphasizes the absence of fear and the presence of a serene curiosity. The newborn lies "in the quiet and looked," engaging in "wordless thought," a state where the mind is pure and untainted by language or external knowledge. The metaphor of the mind "getting its oxygen direct" suggests an unmediated experience of life, a pure intake of the essence of existence. The speaker describes this early state as one of freedom, unburdened by attachments or responsibilities: "I hated no one... I was free, not yet in love, I did not belong to anyone."

This pure state is further illustrated by the fact that the newborn has not yet consumed milk, symbolizing that they have not yet begun the process of dependency or formed any bonds. The newborn is entirely self-contained, not yet entangled in the web of human emotions and relationships. The description "I was not very human" underscores the idea that humanity, with all its complexities, is yet to be acquired. In this hour, the newborn exists in a state akin to a deity, untouched and untethered, experiencing a brief moment of divine freedom and innocence.

The poem concludes with the arrival of the inevitable—being taken to the mother. This marks the end of the solitary purity experienced in the first hour and the beginning of human connections and dependencies. The final line, "then they came for me, and took me to my mother," signifies the start of life within the social and emotional contexts that define human existence.

"First Hour" captures the essence of a fleeting moment in which the newborn exists in a state of pure being, unencumbered by the complexities of life. Through evocative imagery and a reflective tone, Sharon Olds explores the profound simplicity and purity of the earliest moments of life, offering a meditation on the nature of existence before the onset of human relationships and experiences. The poem serves as a poignant reminder of the innocence that precedes the journey of life, a moment where one exists purely, without the burdens of identity, love, or obligation.

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