Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy's poem "It Arrives Suddenly and Carries Us Off As Usual" captures the sudden and overpowering force of desire as it intrudes upon the mundane routines of daily life. Through a blend of vivid imagery and sensory details, Piercy explores the intense and almost primal nature of sexual attraction, illustrating how it can transform ordinary moments into passionate encounters.

The poem begins with a scene set in early June: "Sometimes in early June I am standing / under the just unpacked green of the oak / when a hot bearish paw suddenly flattens the air." This opening establishes a tranquil, natural setting that is abruptly disrupted by a forceful and unexpected change. The "hot bearish paw" metaphorically describes the arrival of a warm front, characterized as a tangible and aggressive presence that "flattens the air." This imagery sets the stage for the poem's exploration of sudden, overwhelming sensations.

Piercy continues to describe the warm front as "a warm front marches in palpable as / a shove, a sudden fanfare from the brass." The use of the word "marches" and the comparison to a "fanfare from the brass" convey a sense of assertive, almost militaristic intrusion. This forceful entry is felt viscerally by the speaker, suggesting the intensity of the experience.

The poem then shifts to a domestic scene: "I am putting dishes away in the cupboard. / You are screwing a bulb into the fixture." These ordinary activities are interrupted by a sudden awareness of desire: "is it the verb, the analogy, the mischievous / child of the limbic brain fitting shards together?" The reference to the "limbic brain" emphasizes the primal and instinctual nature of this sudden attraction. The speaker and their partner are both overcome by thoughts of sex, as if an external presence has entered the room: "We both think of sex as if a presence / had entered the room, a scent of salt / and hot feathers, a musky tickle / along the spine like arpeggios / galloping down the scale to the bass / that resonates from the skull to soles."

This description of desire as a "scent of salt and hot feathers" and a "musky tickle along the spine" evokes a powerful sensory experience. The comparison to musical arpeggios "galloping down the scale to the bass" suggests a crescendo of sensations that envelops the entire body, from head to toe. The imagery here highlights the all-consuming nature of desire, which transforms the body from a "tidy machine" into a being "shimmering with mouths of light crying let me take / you in, I must be laved in touch."

The urgency of desire is palpable: "Now, now. Five minutes later / we are upstairs, the phone out of the wall, / doors locked, clothes tossed like casualties / through three rooms." The rapid transition from mundane tasks to an intimate encounter underscores the sudden and irresistible pull of attraction. The description of clothes as "casualties" scattered through multiple rooms emphasizes the chaotic and consuming nature of their passion.

The poem concludes with a return to normalcy, but with a lingering sense of transformation: "Half an hour after that we are back, / me at the cupboard, you on the ladder / our clothes rumpled, reeking of secretions / and satisfaction, dazed as if carried / to a height and dropped straight down." Despite resuming their previous activities, the speaker and their partner are changed by their encounter. The imagery of being "carried to a height and dropped straight down" suggests an exhilarating and disorienting experience, leaving them both satisfied and dazed.

"It Arrives Suddenly and Carries Us Off As Usual" by Marge Piercy masterfully captures the sudden, overwhelming force of desire as it interrupts the routines of daily life. Through rich sensory details and dynamic imagery, Piercy illustrates how powerful and transformative such moments can be, turning the mundane into the extraordinary and leaving a lasting impact on those who experience them.

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