Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Karen Fleur Adcock’s “Flames” is a tightly woven meditation on ancestry, temperament, and the inevitability of aging and death. Through the lens of inherited traits and speculative futures, the poem explores personal identity, the passage of time, and the allure of destruction.

The opening question—“Which redhead did I get my temper from?”—grounds the poem in the speaker’s attempt to trace familial lineage. By focusing on hair color and temperament, Adcock connects physical traits to emotional dispositions, suggesting an inherited connection between appearance and behavior. The query implies a broader investigation into identity and the inevitability of inheriting aspects of one’s ancestors. Yet, the light-hearted phrasing belies the darker undercurrents that soon surface.

The speaker’s casual inventory of her lineage—“I’ve made a short ancestral list / by hair-colour and moods”—juxtaposes humor with unease. While the exploration begins with hair color and temper, it quickly shifts to a graver concern: “what are the odds on Alzheimer’s?” This pivot from superficial traits to a deeply existential question highlights the speaker’s anxiety about aging and cognitive decline, a concern that becomes central to the poem’s tone and direction.

Adcock introduces Mary Ellen, a potential ancestor whose descent into dementia is symbolized by her search for “Ship Canal shares” in the coal shed. This detail blends absurdity with pathos, offering a glimpse of the chaos and confusion that can accompany old age. The imagery of fiery red hair turning gray mirrors the loss of vibrancy and control, marking the transition from vitality to decline.

The speaker’s assertion—“My hair’s not red. I like flames, though”—marks a significant thematic shift. Flames become a central metaphor, representing both destruction and fascination. The imagery of fire—“flimsy veils,” “orange plastic film,” “parachute-silk”—evokes beauty, fragility, and danger. The tactile description of flames being “run… through my fingers” suggests an almost hypnotic attraction to the act of playing with fire, both literally and metaphorically. This fascination could symbolize the speaker’s acceptance of risk, chaos, or the inevitable end.

The act of imagining herself in old age, “playing with fire,” serves as a metaphor for recklessness, freedom, or rebellion in the face of mortality. The speaker’s declaration—“My hands will scorch and wither, if I do. / I shall be safe and dead. It won’t matter”—is both defiant and resigned. This acknowledgment of physical harm as inconsequential in the face of death underscores a nihilistic, yet strangely liberating, perspective.

Adcock pairs the imagery of flames with a closing suggestion of “deep water.” While fire symbolizes destruction and transformation, water may suggest oblivion or immersion in the unknown. The two elements evoke opposing forces—intensity and stillness, chaos and calm—leaving the reader to ponder which fate might ultimately define the speaker’s end.

The poem’s strength lies in its ability to balance humor with poignancy, lightness with gravity. Adcock’s controlled language and vivid imagery allow her to navigate these themes with subtlety and wit. The speculative nature of the poem—rooted in the speaker’s musings about ancestry and future madness—mirrors the uncertainty and fragility of human life.

In “Flames”, Adcock weaves together a meditation on inheritance, aging, and mortality, capturing the tension between fear and acceptance, destruction and beauty. The poem’s quiet humor and defiance in the face of inevitable decline make it an evocative exploration of how we grapple with our own impermanence.

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