Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alice Fulton’s "Cutting Bed" presents a vivid and somewhat jarring exploration of love, memory, and the detritus of romantic relationships. Through a mix of raw imagery and reflective commentary, the poem delves into the remnants of love gone awry and the poignant, sometimes grotesque, symbols left behind.

The poem opens with the speaker preparing to face the outside world, "doused in citronella," a detail that sets a tone of both protection and discomfort. This preparation is not for a serene exploration but for confronting a landscape "blemished with ephemera / left by lovers while the others slept." The use of "blemished" suggests that these remnants of love mar the natural beauty of the country, turning it into a testament to human frailty and emotion.

The narrative quickly introduces a lover who has "purged himself from rural route to cutting bed." This vivid phrase implies a journey marked by emotional turmoil and physical acts of remembrance or destruction. The "trashed anger" left behind consists of "dirty anniversaries, raw Hallmarks," and other discarded tokens of affection. These items, once symbols of love, now represent a "lewd and usual punishment," a stark contrast to their intended sentimentality.

Fulton’s use of metaphor is striking: "Cold fusion. The rose laced with plutonium. / The breeder reactor down the street." These images of nuclear energy and contamination serve as powerful symbols for the toxic and explosive nature of failed relationships. The juxtaposition of a rose with plutonium encapsulates the idea of something beautiful becoming dangerously corrupted.

The poem continues with a scene involving a girl and a boy exchanging hearts on stalks, a seemingly innocent gesture laden with double meanings and crude humor: "Hi Handsome, it reads. 'You wanted some pussy… / So here's some pussy... willow. Ha! Ha! Love, Cindy.'" This exchange underscores the theme of love’s superficiality and the often mocking or insincere nature of romantic gestures.

The narrative suggests a darker undercurrent as well, with the speaker contemplating the possibility of these markers leading to tragic outcomes: "could lead to Cindy dead and dressed as the med-flight R.N. she writes she was / 'definitely ready to be!!'" This line hints at unfulfilled aspirations and the potential for violence lurking beneath the surface of these relationships.

Fulton describes a scene illuminated by "sheet lightning," revealing the "wrecked commemoratives" left by a lover seeking to solve his problems through erotic escapades. The mention of "brown-corseted trees" adds an element of decay and confinement, reinforcing the poem’s theme of love’s dark aftermath.

The poem shifts to a more personal reflection, with the speaker recalling a grandparent's crude commentary on Valentine's Day: "Blow jobs." This jarring juxtaposition of innocence and vulgarity exemplifies the poem’s exploration of love’s complexities and contradictions.

Cindy’s continued commentary, asking if the speaker is interested in revisiting "Memory Lane," highlights the tension between nostalgia and the harsh realities of the past

Her question, "The good old days?" reflects a longing for a simpler, more innocent time, but the poem quickly subverts this notion by presenting a cynical view of past romantic ideals. This skepticism is evident in the line, "Before mutant bunnies with hearts for butts / were signed 'I lust therefore I love?'"

The speaker's reminiscence about her father marrying her mother because "she smelled like honeysuckle" adds a personal and somewhat melancholic note to the poem. This memory contrasts sharply with the crude, commercialized expressions of love depicted earlier, suggesting a longing for genuine, uncomplicated affection.

In "Cutting Bed," Alice Fulton masterfully navigates the terrain of love’s remnants, both tangible and emotional. The poem's imagery oscillates between the grotesque and the tender, reflecting the complex and often contradictory nature of human relationships. Through its vivid descriptions and poignant reflections, the poem invites readers to reconsider the symbols and rituals of love, questioning their sincerity and uncovering the hidden tensions that lie beneath the surface.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Powers_of_Congress/-RgVMZEgQvsC?q=&gbpv=1&bsq=CUTTING#f=false

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