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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

DESIRE, by                 Poet's Biography

Gail Mazur’s "Desire" is a deeply evocative poem that explores the complex interplay between longing, rebellion, and self-discovery. Set against the backdrop of adolescence, the poem reflects on the charged moments of awakening desire, the constraints of familial expectations, and the illusion of freedom. Mazur’s language captures both the intensity of youthful passion and the lingering weight of its emotional and social contexts, offering a rich meditation on the thresholds we cross in search of autonomy and fulfillment.

The poem begins with a scene of anticipation: the speaker, waiting in the “dark car parked away / from the street lamp,” leans eagerly into the moment of connection. This opening situates the reader in the tension between secrecy and desire, as the speaker balances the thrill of intimacy with the awareness of being observed. The image of her “tall father,” visible through the “pane high in the front door,” underscores the constant surveillance and judgment that frame her experiences. The act of kissing becomes an act of defiance, a moment of freedom carved out from a life constrained by parental oversight.

Mazur’s description of the speaker’s body—leaning eagerly, hating “the cage it had become”—conveys the intensity of physical longing as well as the frustration of societal and familial restrictions. The speaker’s body acts as both the site of desire and the battleground for control, reflecting a tension that is both deeply personal and universal. The “guilt” associated with these stolen pleasures contrasts sharply with the speaker’s bodily knowledge that they are “the only right thing to do.” This conflict between internal truth and external judgment is central to the poem, highlighting the ways in which desire can both liberate and complicate.

The poem’s narrative is interwoven with reflections on the passage of time and the fates of the boys who shared these moments with the speaker. The brief sketches of their later lives—one “died in a car crash,” another “is a mechanic,” a third “a musician”—are poignant reminders of the transience of youth and the divergent paths life can take. Yet, in these fleeting portraits, the speaker’s focus remains on the physical intimacy of the past: “I loved their lips, their eyebrows, the bones of their cheeks.” The vivid, tactile imagery underscores the deep, almost primal connection the speaker felt in these moments, even as she acknowledges the boys’ youth and simplicity.

The relationship between the speaker and her parents, particularly her father, forms a powerful counterpoint to the scenes of intimacy. The father’s presence at the door, waiting to let her in, becomes a symbol of authority and control, a reminder of the constraints she seeks to escape. The act of being let in “angrily” highlights the clash between the speaker’s burgeoning independence and her parents’ efforts to maintain their influence. The recurring need to ring the bell and wake someone to enter the house serves as a metaphor for her lack of autonomy, emphasizing the physical and emotional barriers she faces.

The poem’s climactic image of the fog-covered bridge serves as a metaphor for the transformative power of desire and the illusory nature of freedom. The speaker relives the “precious night” as a kind of ritual, envisioning it as “a bridge to my new state / from the old world I’d been imprisoned by.” This metaphor captures the liminal space of adolescence, where each act of rebellion or self-discovery feels like a step toward liberation. Yet the speaker’s acknowledgment of “an invisible line / in the middle of the bridge” complicates this narrative. The line, shrouded in fog, represents the ambiguity of freedom—the idea that release and autonomy are never absolute but always contingent, shaped by the weight of memory, expectation, and consequence.

Mazur’s language is both sensual and reflective, capturing the immediacy of physical desire while layering it with introspection. The tactile descriptions—scraped cheeks, steaming windshields, the “raw” aftermath of intimacy—contrast with the quiet, almost detached observations of familial dynamics and societal expectations. This interplay between physicality and thought creates a richly textured narrative that resonates on multiple levels.

Ultimately, "Desire" is a meditation on the power of longing to shape identity and the ways in which moments of connection, however fleeting, can redefine one’s relationship with the self and the world. Mazur captures the bittersweet complexity of desire: its ability to liberate and constrain, to clarify and obscure. The poem’s final image of the bridge, with its promise of freedom tempered by the fog of uncertainty, leaves the reader with a sense of the enduring tension between the constraints we inherit and the freedoms we seek.


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