Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "What Matters", Janice Mirikitani explores the essential elements of love, resilience, and survival, contrasting the idealized beauty of traditional Japanese imagery with the harsh realities of life shaped by trauma, family, and social responsibility. The poem addresses a complex layering of values, emphasizing the things that genuinely “matter” in a world often filled with suffering and sacrifice. Through vivid snapshots of family, personal history, and collective struggles, Mirikitani grounds her reflections in a tangible, heartfelt acknowledgment of life’s challenges and the love that endures despite them.

The poem opens with a series of gentle, traditional images that symbolize comfort and aesthetic beauty: “the poem soft as linen dried by the sun,” “words of comfort like puffed pillows,” and “yellow flowers with velvet petals.” These images create a serene and nostalgic scene, suggesting the poetic and metaphysical beauty often associated with Japanese art and culture. The speaker juxtaposes these delicate, curated moments—“cherry blossoms arranged,” “the quaint ceremony of tea”—with the reader’s expectation for a “love poem” composed of such symbols. There’s an implicit tension in these initial lines, hinting that these serene images do not encompass the speaker’s understanding of what truly matters. The traditional haiku form and its themes—“persimmons or new plums or snow-covered br[anches]”—are presented almost as tropes of beauty, yet they serve to contrast with the deeper, often more painful truths the speaker is about to reveal.

The phrase “What matters / the trickling clarity of water / each day, not fearing thirst” shifts the poem’s focus, suggesting that the basics of survival—like access to clear water—hold more weight than poetic aesthetics or idealized beauty. This line establishes the theme of survival against deprivation, hinting at a life experience marked by scarcity and fear. In this context, “not fearing thirst” becomes a profound expression of freedom and security, a privilege that the speaker cannot take for granted. This line reframes “what matters,” highlighting survival and sustenance as a foundation for everything else, including love.

As the poem progresses, Mirikitani presents memories of family members, grounding her reflections in personal history and intergenerational resilience. “Mama / hiding pennies under floor boards” evokes a legacy of resourcefulness, with items such as “flour, saltine crackers, balls of used aluminum foil, / string, coupons, and water jars” carefully saved. This image conveys a life shaped by a history of uncertainty and the need for self-reliance, likely influenced by the internment experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II. The mention of hiding pennies and other necessities “for that day / when all would be taken and packing / must be quick again” points to the trauma of forced relocation and the constant fear of having to rebuild from nothing. This survival mindset, inherited from the mother, reflects a form of love that prioritizes security and preparation for unknown hardships.

The poem then shifts to a memory of the speaker’s grandfather, a figure who embodies both resilience and brutality. He “killed my cat / who ripped open his hens, sucking their eggs,” a traumatic event that reveals the harsh realities of rural life and survival. The grandfather’s calm yet firm action, “fondling the rock” before he strikes, is a stark contrast to the delicate beauty introduced at the beginning of the poem. His warning that the speaker would eat the rabbit “as soon as I began to love her” highlights a lesson about survival and sacrifice, illustrating that attachments must sometimes be relinquished in times of scarcity. This lesson, painful as it is, becomes part of the speaker’s understanding of what “matters,” encapsulating the harsh wisdom of older generations who endured difficult circumstances.

Mirikitani also reflects on the speaker’s relationship with her husband, whose compassion for the marginalized—“welfare mothers cleaning cockroaches from the lips of their children”—illustrates his empathy and kindness. His “words like spoons, nourishing” transform ordinary conversation into a source of sustenance and healing, suggesting that love is an act of feeding and supporting others in tangible ways. The husband’s work with the “wretched,” his hands embracing the shoulders of those who are often overlooked, underscores the poem’s recurring theme of love as an expression of care and solidarity in difficult circumstances. His love, like the mother’s frugality and the grandfather’s stern lessons, is a form of survival, offering comfort and resilience to those around him.

The speaker’s daughter, who “weeps for each dead seal, / murdered tiger, cat’s corpse,” is portrayed as an embodiment of compassion for all living things. Her advocacy “against gamesmen and trophy hunters” reflects an awareness of environmental and animal suffering, expanding the poem’s concept of love to include a respect for life beyond human relationships. The daughter’s activism becomes a symbol of hope and moral responsibility, a commitment to preserving the world for future generations. Her empathy aligns with the poem’s emphasis on survival and respect for life, reinforcing the values the speaker holds dear.

As the poem nears its end, Mirikitani broadens the scope to encompass global tragedies: “amidst the dread of nuclear winter, Chernobyl’s catastrophe, / Three Mile Island, Nevada’s test veterans.” This litany of crises, from nuclear disasters to toxic waste, highlights the widespread suffering and ecological devastation threatening humanity’s future. The poem’s inclusion of specific events—“the massacred in Port Elizabeth, the wounded of Central America”—underscores a deep awareness of the violence and oppression occurring around the world, suggesting that “what matters” transcends individual experiences, encompassing a collective responsibility for global suffering. The mention of “Atlanta’s missing and mutilated” and “murder in the streets” brings these issues closer to home, connecting the speaker’s personal experiences of survival with broader social and environmental injustices.

In response to these horrors, the speaker returns to the idea of a “love poem,” questioning the relevance of traditional poetic forms in the face of such overwhelming suffering. “Clear water passing / our mouths unafraid to breathe, and to speak freely” suggests that the truest form of love and survival lies in the ability to live without fear, to express oneself openly, and to fulfill the basic needs for sustenance and dignity. This closing line reinforces the speaker’s earlier assertion that survival—access to water, air, and freedom—is foundational to everything else. Mirikitani’s emphasis on “breath” and the ability to “speak freely” captures an essential human right, one that is often threatened by oppression and exploitation.

In "What Matters", Janice Mirikitani challenges conventional notions of beauty and love, presenting a vision of resilience rooted in survival, family, and social responsibility. The poem weaves together personal memories, cultural heritage, and global consciousness, reflecting a deep understanding of life’s fragility and the importance of human connection. Through her vivid and diverse imagery, Mirikitani argues that true love is grounded in empathy, survival, and a commitment to justice. By redefining what matters, she offers a powerful reminder that beauty lies not only in serene moments or traditional forms, but in the courage to endure, care for others, and confront the world’s suffering with open eyes and unwavering compassion.

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