Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker’s "The Book of Life" is a profound meditation on life, death, art, and the intricate web of relationships that define our existence. The poem, dedicated to Sheila Solomon, traverses the terrain of memory, loss, and creation, intertwining personal experiences with larger existential questions. Through its rich imagery and layered narrative, the poem explores how we grapple with mortality and the ways in which art, memory, and relationships offer us a way to inscribe ourselves into the metaphorical "Book of Life."

The poem opens with a reflection on a garden, a space that symbolizes both life and the ongoing process of creation and destruction. The speaker describes the garden with its various flowers—irises, pansies, marigolds, alyssum—each blooming with vibrant life, yet underscored by the memory of loss. The mention of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, sets a spiritual and reflective tone, emphasizing the theme of repentance and the seeking of divine inscription in the Book of Life. The juxtaposition of the garden with the solemnity of Yom Kippur suggests that life, in all its beauty and hardship, is a space where we continuously strive for meaning and redemption.

The poem moves into a personal memory shared with a friend, a stroll through a garden on Yom Kippur rather than being in a synagogue. This moment captures the tension between tradition and personal spirituality, as the friends walk "through mud around the pool" and engage in a conversation that touches on health, loss, and the future. The friend, grappling with the recent blindness of her mother and the death of her favorite uncle, is portrayed in a state of emotional and physical vulnerability. The shared memories of their daughters as young children add a layer of nostalgia and longing, reminding the speaker and her friend of the passage of time and the innocence that has been lost.

As the poem progresses, it delves into the myths surrounding artists—those who die young, consumed by their art, and those who continue their work into old age, defying physical limitations. The speaker reflects on the "myth of our self-destructiveness" and the romanticized image of the artist who burns brightly and then fades away. Yet, the poem acknowledges that many artists live long, disciplined lives, finding ways to adapt to the challenges of aging and continuing to create despite physical decline. The line "Certain women survive / Their erotic petals and pollen, grasp dirt, bite stone" captures the resilience and determination of women artists who persist in their work, even as they age and face the inevitability of physical decline.

The poem then addresses the concept of the Jewish mother, a familiar cultural trope, and how it intersects with the experience of raising children. The speaker reflects on the deep, often unspoken bond between mothers and their children, a bond that endures even when the children grow up and distance themselves. The poem suggests that this maternal love is both a source of strength and a cause of endless worry and grief, as mothers continue to care for their children long after they have become adults.

The spiritual dimension of the poem is emphasized as the speaker contemplates the prayer "Inscribe us in the Book of Life," a plea for inclusion in the divine record. The imagery of amber, golden, and brass leaves suggests the beauty and transience of life, as the speaker and her friend walk by the bay, contemplating the cycles of nature and the passage of time. The mention of women praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, facing hostility from those who consider themselves "Chosen," introduces the theme of religious division and the ways in which different interpretations of faith can lead to conflict and exclusion. The poem critiques these divisions, questioning the idea of chosenness and the ways in which it has been used to justify exclusion and violence.

In the final sections, the poem returns to the theme of art and creation, focusing on the friend’s sculptures—bronze and silver forms that capture pain, rage, and the resilience of the human spirit. The sculptures, described as "ugly beauty," are a testament to the artist’s struggle to find truth and meaning through her work. The process of creating these forms, despite the pain and exhaustion that accompany it, is portrayed as a form of praise, an assertion of life in the face of mortality.

The poem concludes with a meditation on the inevitability of death and the hope for integrity and meaning in the face of it. The speaker recalls the final moments of a friend who chose to die on her own terms, refusing further medical intervention and embracing the end with dignity. This memory, combined with the recollection of the friend’s vibrant life and artistic accomplishments, underscores the poem’s exploration of how we choose to live and die, and how we inscribe ourselves in the metaphorical Book of Life.

"The Book of Life" is a deeply reflective and richly textured poem that grapples with some of the most profound questions of existence—how we live, how we create, how we remember, and how we face death. Through its exploration of memory, art, spirituality, and the bonds between women, the poem offers a meditation on the ways in which we seek to leave a mark on the world, to be remembered, and to be inscribed in the ongoing story of life.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...