Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Monarchs" by Sharon Olds intertwines the imagery of Monarch butterflies with the speaker's reflections on a past intimate experience. The poem explores themes of transformation, fleeting beauty, and the transient nature of relationships. Through the metaphor of the Monarch migration, Olds captures the delicate yet powerful impact of a brief but significant encounter.

The poem opens with the speaker observing the Monarch butterflies as they pass by her window, seven stories up and near a river. The Monarchs' journey southward parallels the speaker's thoughts about a past lover. The butterflies' "dry red" wings are likened to the hands of the lover, described as "like butchers' hands," suggesting a roughness or harshness. The "raised veins of their wings" are compared to the lover's scars, evoking a sense of vulnerability and past wounds.

As the speaker recalls the physical touch of the lover, she describes his "massive rough palms" as being surprisingly light, "the chapped scrape of an insect's leg across my breast." This simile captures the unexpected gentleness of the touch, contrasting with the lover's seemingly rough exterior. The speaker's inexperience is evident in her admission that "no one had ever touched me before," and she "didn't know enough to open [her] legs." This line suggests both a lack of sexual experience and a deeper sense of innocence or naivety.

The poem then transitions to a vivid and intimate image of the lover's thighs, "feathered with red, gold hairs," opening between the speaker's legs "like a pair of wings." This comparison to wings not only connects the lover to the Monarch butterflies but also evokes a sense of openness, freedom, and transformation. The description of the "hinged print of my blood on your thighs" suggests a moment of physical intimacy and the indelible mark left by the encounter. The metaphor of a "winged creature, pinned there" reinforces the idea of being marked or changed by the experience, much like a butterfly pinned in a collection.

The departure of the lover is a recurring theme, as he "left, as you were to leave over and over." This repetition emphasizes the transient nature of the relationship and the inevitability of separation. The butterflies' migration south, described as "moving in masses past my window, floating south to their transformation," mirrors the lover's departures. The Monarchs' journey, a natural and necessary part of their lifecycle, symbolizes the movement towards change and the acceptance of impermanence.

The final lines of the poem juxtapose the "diffuse blood-red cloud" of butterflies with the image of the speaker's body under the lover's, evoking a sense of simultaneous beauty and melancholy. The "beauty and silence of the great migrations" captures the awe-inspiring yet quiet nature of these transformative journeys, both for the butterflies and for the speaker's emotional experience.

"Monarchs" is a poignant meditation on the ephemeral nature of relationships and the transformations they bring. Sharon Olds masterfully uses the metaphor of the Monarch migration to reflect on the fleeting, delicate, and often painful beauty of intimate connections. The poem explores the themes of vulnerability, change, and the acceptance of loss, highlighting the bittersweet reality of love and the inevitable movement towards new stages in life. Through her evocative language and rich imagery, Olds captures the complex emotions that accompany these experiences, offering a profound reflection on the nature of human connections and the passage of time.

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