Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Albert Goldbarth’s poem “He Has” explores the complex interplay between beauty and pain, desire and destruction, and the deceptive nature of perception. The poem’s narrative delves into how appearances can mask underlying realities and how proximity and context significantly shape our understanding of what we see.

Goldbarth begins with the description of a person who possesses a “high-boned taut-toned moody ink-eyes beauty.” This image is evocative and magnetic, suggesting an allure that can lead people astray, symbolized by the metaphor of leading a girl to hell while whistling. This juxtaposition of beauty with danger introduces the central theme of the poem: the duality of appearances. The beauty described is not just superficial attractiveness but carries a deeper, more perilous charm that can captivate and ruin.

The poem then shifts to a different kind of allure: the “little jumpstart jazz in her ass” that captures a boy’s gaze. This line emphasizes how physical attraction can fixate attention, even amidst adverse circumstances like “broken glass, humiliation, fiscal ruin.” The use of “superglues” highlights the stickiness of such attractions, how they hold one’s attention firmly despite the surrounding negativity. The eye, Goldbarth notes, betrays us daily, suggesting that what we see is often deceptive and can lead to misunderstanding or misjudgment.

Goldbarth continues with a powerful example: on the beach, what initially appears as a “beautiful cartouche of raw-sienna feathering and pucker” is, upon closer inspection, the deadly mark of a jellyfish sting on a tourist’s chest. This transformation of perception underscores how beauty can hide danger, how something seemingly aesthetic can actually signify harm or death. The poet challenges the reader to reconcile these conflicting images, to see beyond the surface.

The poem further complicates the notion of beauty with the imagery of fish guts and gulls. The “glutinous spiral of fish guts” is grotesque, yet it creates a “voluminous screw-thread spiraling-down” that is visually captivating as the gulls descend to feed. This imagery suggests that beauty and repulsion are often intertwined, and what we find beautiful or fascinating can be context-dependent. Proximity, Goldbarth argues, determines much of our perception; being close to something can reveal its true nature, which might be starkly different from its appearance from afar.

Goldbarth concludes with a poignant reflection on the naivety of youth and the harsh realities of adulthood. At twelve, one might dream of “going to war,” envisioning it as a grand adventure, not realizing the horrors it entails. This line encapsulates the poem’s exploration of deceptive appearances and the disillusionment that often follows. The shift from dreaming of war to experiencing it echoes the transition from idealized perceptions to harsh realities.

“He Has” is a meditation on the deceptive nature of appearances and the complexities of perception. Goldbarth’s vivid imagery and careful juxtaposition of beauty with danger invite readers to question their own perceptions and consider how context shapes their understanding of the world. The poem suggests that true understanding requires looking beyond the surface, recognizing the potential for beauty and danger to coexist, and acknowledging the power of proximity in shaping our perceptions.

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