Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Albert Goldbarth's poem "Prepositions" navigates the intricacies of language and human experience through the lens of prepositional phrases and the lives of its characters. By examining how prepositions function in both grammar and life, Goldbarth draws parallels between language and the deeper, often poignant, aspects of human existence.

The poem begins with simple, instructive sentences that exemplify the basic use of prepositions: "We are going / the moving picture theater. (direction)" and "Tim will pick us up — / _ eight o'clock. (time)." These lines set the stage for a deeper exploration of how prepositions not only connect words but also people, places, and moments in time.

Rifke, a Russian immigrant and the caretaker of the poet's ailing mother, embodies the struggle of navigating a new language and culture. Her attempts to describe her past in Moscow and her ambitions as an architect ("big arshitaker") contrast sharply with her present reality in a "unbeautiful house." This juxtaposition highlights the disjunction between her dreams and her current situation. Her halting English and the poet's attempts to understand her illustrate the challenges of communication and the effort to bridge gaps created by language and experience.

The poem's setting is intimate, confined to the home where Rifke tends to the poet's mother. The mother's cancer and the suffering it brings are conveyed with stark realism: "No language is adequate to her future; soon she'll only speak to the rest of us as memory." This line poignantly underscores the limitations of language in the face of mortality and the impending loss of a loved one. Rifke's diligent practice of English amidst this backdrop of illness and care-taking is a testament to human resilience and the pursuit of connection.

Goldbarth deftly uses prepositions to anchor the reader in specific locations and moments, such as "The house is the corner. (location) On? at? near? around? by?" These small words serve as anchors in the poem, much like they do in life, providing orientation and context in the midst of chaos and change.

The basement scene, with its relics from the past, further emphasizes the passage of time and the layering of memories. The father's "pea-green office surplus work desk" with "neatly-nibbed accounts & debits lists of 1970" evokes a sense of nostalgia and the weight of history carried into the present. The description of these old, outdated supplies contrasts with the relentless advance of technology and time, symbolizing how certain elements of our past remain static while the world around us changes.

Rifke's learning process and her attempts to use prepositions correctly reflect the poem's broader theme of navigating life's complexities. Her exercises, such as "Let us attend the newsreel 'movie'. / Perhaps we can stay — / the gang. (together), and the 'short.' (intention)," are imbued with a sense of both humor and pathos. These sentences, like fragments of the past, flutter out of an old car window and are never returned, symbolizing the ephemeral nature of language and memory.

Ultimately, "Prepositions" explores the connections between words and the lived experiences they describe. Goldbarth's use of prepositions to frame the narrative emphasizes their role in linking disparate elements of life, just as they link words in a sentence. The poem concludes on a reflective note, acknowledging that words and memories, though fleeting, fill the blankness of our existence and give it shape and meaning. Through this lens, Goldbarth captures the essence of human experience: the search for connection, understanding, and the navigation of life's transitions through the humble yet profound function of prepositions.

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