Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy's poem "Nailing Up the Mezuzah" intricately weaves together themes of home, protection, tradition, and the natural world. Through vivid imagery and reflective insights, Piercy explores the significance of the mezuzah as a symbol of faith and safeguarding, while also acknowledging the broader context of life’s uncertainties and the need for various forms of protection.

The poem begins with a gesture of friendship and cultural exchange: "A friend from Greece brought a tin house on a plaque, designed to protect our abode, as in Greek churches embossed legs or hearts on display entreat aid." This gift from a friend symbolizes a shared human desire for protection and blessing, transcending cultural boundaries. The tin house on a plaque, with its implied prayers for aid, serves as a precursor to the deeper, more personal act of nailing up the mezuzah.

Piercy transitions to the act of placing the mezuzah: "I hung it but now nail my own proper charm. / I refuse no offers of help, at least from friends, yet this presence is long overdue." The mezuzah represents a specific Jewish tradition of invoking divine protection over the household. The phrase "this presence is long overdue" suggests a delayed but significant commitment to this tradition.

The poem then reflects on the nature of blessings and the self-sabotage that can undermine them: "Mostly we nurture our own blessings or spoil them, build firmly or undermine our walls. Who are termites but our obsessions gnawing?" This metaphor of termites as obsessions highlights how internal struggles can erode the stability and sanctity of our lives and homes.

Nature’s uncontrollable forces are acknowledged: "Still the winds blow hard from the cave of the sea carrying off what they will." This line suggests that despite efforts to protect and fortify, external forces remain unpredictable and powerful. The imagery of the sea’s winds emphasizes the vulnerability inherent in life.

Piercy continues with a meditation on smaller, more intimate forms of luck and protection: "Our smaller luck abides like a worm snug in an apple who does not comprehend the shivering of the leaves as the ax bites hard in the smooth trunk." This metaphor of the worm in the apple suggests a naive or sheltered form of security, unaware of larger threats. It underscores the delicate balance of safety and danger in life.

The need for external support is reaffirmed: "We need all help proffered by benign forces. Outside / we commit our beans to the earth, the tomato plants started in February to the care of the rain." This act of planting and nurturing reflects faith in natural cycles and external benevolence, paralleling the spiritual protection sought through the mezuzah.

Piercy’s attention shifts to a personal, everyday moment: "My little pregnant grey cat offers the taut bow of her belly to the sun's hot tongue." This tender image of the cat basking in the sun conveys a sense of trust and vulnerability, mirroring the poet’s own acts of faith and hope in protective rituals.

The observation of alewives’ struggle upstream further reinforces themes of perseverance and survival: "Saturday I watched alewives swarm in their thousands waiting in queues quivering pointed against the white rush of the torrents to try their leaps upstream." The struggle of the alewives against natural forces parallels human efforts to navigate and survive life’s challenges.

The poem juxtaposes this struggle with the casual predation of gulls: "The gulls bald as coffin nails stabbed them casually conversing in shrieks, picnicking." The stark contrast between the desperate leaps of the alewives and the gulls’ indifferent consumption highlights the harsh realities of nature and existence.

Piercy grounds the poem with a sense of place and belonging: "On its earth, this house is oriented. We grow from our bed rooted firmly as an old willow into the water of our dreams flowing deep in the hillside." The connection to the land and the deep roots of the home offer a sense of stability and continuity, essential in the face of life’s uncertainties.

The final invocation, "Malach hamoves, angel of death pass over, pass on," evokes the Passover tradition and the plea for divine protection against death and misfortune. This closing line ties the themes of faith, protection, and continuity together, emphasizing the spiritual dimension of the mezuzah as a protective charm.

"Nailing Up the Mezuzah" by Marge Piercy is a profound meditation on the interplay between tradition, protection, and the natural world. Through its rich imagery and reflective narrative, the poem captures the delicate balance of seeking safety and acknowledging vulnerability, highlighting the enduring human desire for both physical and spiritual sanctuary.

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