Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alice Fulton’s “Priming is a Negligee” is a layered meditation on the relationship between preparation, protection, and intimacy. Through the meticulous description of the process of preparing a canvas for painting, Fulton draws parallels to the ways we prepare and protect our bodies and hearts, ultimately exploring the vulnerabilities and connections between lovers.

The poem opens with an instruction on preparing a canvas: “Stroke the white sheath well into the weave. The canvas needs more veil.” This initial image of priming a canvas, covering it with a protective layer before the application of paint, serves as a metaphor for the ways in which we protect ourselves. The repetition of “The canvas needs more veil” underscores the necessity of this protective layer, suggesting that without it, the canvas, like a person, would be too vulnerable to withstand the intensity of direct contact.

Fulton’s use of painterly language—“float on skins of lead / white coating”—evokes the delicate balance between preservation and exposure. The lead white, traditionally used in painting, both protects and isolates, highlighting the duality of protection. This protective layer is necessary to prevent the oils from “gnaw[ing] at cloth until the image hangs on air,” much like how emotional barriers protect individuals from being consumed by their experiences.

Transitioning from the canvas to the body, the poem states, “The body takes its own shade / with it everywhere.” This line introduces the concept of personal identity and the inherent protection one carries. The “true gessoes flesh will accept” become the creams and sunscreens that shelter the skin, symbolizing the defenses we use to protect ourselves from the harshness of reality. The “Creams white as styrofoam but less / perpetual” represent temporary shields that eventually vanish, much like our emotional defenses that can be worn away over time.

Fulton juxtaposes the technical aspects of painting with the physical and emotional aspects of human relationships. The mention of printers and the “leading / between lines” serves as a metaphor for the space needed in relationships, the “leading” that allows for breathing room and prevents friction. The comparison of “rapt” and “wrapped” highlights the intertwining of passion and physical intimacy, suggesting that immersion in passion often comes with a form of entanglement or wrapping up in one another.

The imagery of clothing and undressing becomes central to the poem’s exploration of intimacy: “I here is a gown— / —that breathes— / and a gown-that heats. One to hold, / one to release.” The process of undressing, of shedding layers, parallels the removal of protective veils on the canvas. This act of undressing is both literal and metaphorical, representing the lovers’ vulnerability and their willingness to expose their true selves to each other.

The poem reaches its climax with the image of lovers “so excited / to think-nothing comes between them. / There is nothing between them.” This ultimate intimacy, where nothing separates the lovers, is depicted as a space of both potential beauty and pain: “That’s how they can consume each other, sand each other sore.” The physical act of love becomes a metaphor for the blending of oils on a canvas, where the layers and strokes come together to create something beautiful yet vulnerable.

In the concluding lines, “The oils are suspended / on a leading. The lovers touch in linen walls,” Fulton returns to the imagery of painting, suggesting that just as oils need a primer to adhere to the canvas, lovers need a foundation of trust and protection to support their intimacy. The “linen walls” symbolize the boundaries and structures that hold their relationship together, allowing them to connect deeply without falling apart.

“Priming is a Negligee” is a richly textured poem that explores the intersections of art, love, and vulnerability. Through the meticulous process of preparing a canvas, Fulton draws profound parallels to the ways we prepare and protect ourselves in relationships, ultimately revealing the delicate balance between exposure and protection in the pursuit of intimacy.

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