Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Louis Simpson’s poem "He's Asleep" is a meditation on the themes of miscommunication, isolation, and the quiet mysteries that pervade everyday life. The poem captures a moment of disquiet that ripples through the speaker’s thoughts, prompting a reflection on relationships, both his own and those of others. Through the lens of a seemingly trivial phone call, Simpson explores the undercurrents of uncertainty and alienation that can exist even in the most familiar settings.

The poem opens with a phone ringing in the middle of the night—a common occurrence that immediately introduces a sense of disturbance. The precise time, "2:07 A.M.," emphasizes the untimeliness and the intrusion into the speaker’s private, restful space. The call comes from a woman’s voice, who, after stating that "He's asleep," quickly realizes she has reached the wrong person, as evidenced by her abrupt, "This isn't Marty." The fact that the speaker’s wife wakes briefly to ask who it was, only to be reassured with "A wrong number," highlights the mundane nature of the event—something easily dismissed and forgotten. However, for the speaker, the call triggers a deeper contemplation.

The next morning, the speaker finds himself absorbed in thought as he observes the guests at breakfast. This shift from the nighttime disturbance to the morning’s reflections ties the two moments together, suggesting that the brief encounter with the unknown caller has lingered in the speaker’s mind. The guests he observes become symbols of various stages and forms of relationships. Two of them are "absorbed in the Times," disconnected from each other despite their physical proximity. The speaker notes that they "had nothing to say to each other apparently," a stark representation of the emotional distance that can develop between people.

Simpson contrasts this with another couple, "obviously married," whose interaction is marked by familiarity: "One would say something and the other would nod." This dynamic, too, is a double-edged sword—while it suggests a deep understanding between the two, it also hints at a repetitive, perhaps stagnant routine, where every thought is "familiar and understood." The speaker’s observations reflect his own uncertainties about relationships, both in general and specifically his own.

The poem then circles back to the idea of the mysterious woman from the phone call, with the speaker speculating about the various women in the breakfast room. He wonders if the woman from the call might be "the one with style having breakfast all by herself, / 'he' being still asleep?" The anonymity of the woman on the phone becomes a focal point for the speaker’s thoughts, as he imagines her in different scenarios. This speculation introduces a sense of unease—who was she, and what was her relationship with the man she called "Marty"? The speaker's imagination plays with these possibilities, reflecting a deeper curiosity and perhaps an underlying insecurity.

The final line, "It could have been any of the women in the room, except his wife," is poignant and revealing. This statement implies a separation between the speaker and his wife, not necessarily physical but emotional or psychological. By excluding his wife from the list of possibilities, the speaker acknowledges a sense of difference or distance between his own life and the lives of those around him. It suggests that while he can imagine the complexities and hidden facets of others’ relationships, his own feels devoid of such mystery or intrigue, perhaps too settled or predictable.

"He's Asleep" is a subtle exploration of the themes of isolation and the unknowability of others, even those closest to us. Simpson’s use of a simple, everyday event—a wrong number in the middle of the night—serves as a catalyst for the speaker’s deeper reflections on relationships and the quiet, often unspoken distances that can exist within them. The poem captures the tension between the familiar and the mysterious, the known and the unknown, leaving the reader with a sense of the quiet, pervasive uncertainties that accompany human connections. Through the speaker's introspection, Simpson invites us to consider the complexities of our own relationships, the things left unsaid, and the ways in which we, too, might be "asleep" to the deeper truths in our lives.

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