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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Old Mary" by Gwendolyn Brooks is a poignant, concise poem that delves into themes of aging, acceptance, and the inevitability of missed opportunities. Through the lens of the speaker, presumably Old Mary, Brooks encapsulates a profound reflection on life's limitations and the peace found in living in the present moment. The opening line, "My last defense / Is the present tense," immediately sets the tone of the poem, revealing the speaker's coping mechanism against the regrets and unfulfilled dreams of the past. This defense is not one of denial or bitterness but an embrace of the current moment as a refuge from the pain of unrealized desires. The present tense becomes a sanctuary, a place where the weight of what could have been does not hold sway. The poem's subsequent lines, "It little hurts me now to know / I shall not go / Cathedral-hunting in Spain / Nor cherrying in Michigan or Maine," speak to specific unmet aspirations—traveling to Spain to explore cathedrals and picking cherries in Michigan or Maine. These activities symbolize the broader experiences and joys that life offers, which, for reasons unstated but implied to be due to aging and the approach of life's end, will remain unexperienced by the speaker. Brooks's choice of the activities—cathedral-hunting and cherrying—evokes a sense of adventure and simple pleasures, juxtaposing grand cultural explorations with the humble delight of picking cherries. This range captures the spectrum of human desires and dreams, from the lofty to the everyday. The specificity of these regrets lends a tangible poignancy to the poem, grounding it in the vivid, missed realities of life. Yet, despite these acknowledgments of what will not be, the poem carries an undercurrent of acceptance rather than despair. The phrase "It little hurts me now" suggests a reconciliation with these limitations, a coming to terms with the narrowing of life's possibilities as one ages. This acceptance is not depicted as a surrender but as a form of strength—a deliberate choice to focus on the present, on what is still possible, rather than dwelling on what cannot be changed. "Old Mary" is a testament to the human capacity for resilience and the search for contentment within the confines of our circumstances. Brooks, with her characteristic economy of words and depth of insight, offers a meditation on the inevitable passage of time and the choices we make in facing it. Through the voice of Old Mary, she invites readers to consider the value of the present, not as a consolation prize but as a profound space of existence where life, in all its truncated beauty, is lived and appreciated.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AN OLD-FASHIONED SONG by JOHN HOLLANDER AT EIGHTY I CHANGE MY VIEW by DAVID IGNATOW FAWN'S FOSTER-MOTHER by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE DEER LAY DOWN THEIR BONES by ROBINSON JEFFERS OLD BLACK MEN by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON A WINTER ODE TO THE OLD MEN OF LUMMUS PARK, / MIAMI, FLORIDA by DONALD JUSTICE AFTER A LINE BY JOHN PEALE BISHOP by DONALD JUSTICE TO HER BODY, AGAINST TIME by ROBERT KELLY |
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