Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker’s poem "Lamenting the Inevitable" is a haunting reflection on the pervasive presence of hate and betrayal in human relationships, particularly in the context of political and social struggles. Through a series of poignant and personal anecdotes, Ostriker explores the painful realization that even the most cherished bonds of friendship and solidarity can be undermined by deep-seated animosities and the relentless forces of conflict.

The poem opens with a vivid image: "The world dances with hate / Like heat waves / Coming up off blacktop." This simile immediately sets the tone, suggesting that hate is an ever-present, almost elemental force that distorts reality much like the shimmering heat on a summer road. The heat waves rising from the blacktop evoke a sense of suffocating inevitability, as if hate is something that cannot be escaped, only endured.

In the following stanzas, Ostriker shifts to a more specific and personal context, grounding the abstract notion of hate in the everyday realities of her life. She introduces Tante Zillah, an "elegant old / Lefty" in Tel Aviv, who pours black coffee while lamenting the betrayal by her Arab friends. This scene is rich with irony and sadness, as the friendship between Tante Zillah and her Arab friends, once presumably built on mutual respect and solidarity, is now overshadowed by fear and suspicion. The use of "secular city" to describe Tel Aviv underscores the complexity of this betrayal, suggesting that even in a place where religious divides are less pronounced, the seeds of distrust and animosity can still take root.

Ostriker’s reference to the Sandinistas and their American sympathizers further complicates the theme of betrayal. The tender-eyed Sandinistas, who once inspired hope and admiration, now place their supporters in harm’s way, "inviting you where the bombs / Will detonate." This shift from idealism to disillusionment is painful, as those who were once allies now seem willing to sacrifice their friends for a cause. The repetition of this pattern across different contexts—Tel Aviv, Nicaragua, and later in an American urban setting—suggests that this cycle of hope and betrayal is a universal human experience.

The poem reaches its emotional climax with the anecdote of the "nine year old / Black girl in the Project," who, despite the speaker’s admiration and overture of friendship, responds with disdain, spitting on the speaker's shoes. This moment captures the raw, visceral pain of rejection and the harsh realities of race and class divisions. The young girl’s action, though seemingly cruel, is framed as a response to a world that is already "burning" with hate and injustice. Her spit is not just an act of personal rejection but a symbol of the broader social fire that consumes even the youngest members of society.

Ostriker concludes the poem with a powerful metaphor: "To throw us safe ones also / Like sticks / Into the fire / Of the burning world." Here, the "safe ones" are those who, perhaps naively, believe they can remain untouched by the world’s conflicts and hatreds. The act of being thrown into the fire symbolizes the inevitable loss of this safety, as even those who try to remain neutral or distant are eventually drawn into the chaos and destruction around them. The image of sticks burning in a fire evokes a sense of helplessness, as if once caught in the flames, there is no escape from the consuming power of hate.

"Lamenting the Inevitable" is a meditation on the fragility of human connections in a world rife with division and conflict. Through her personal reflections and vivid imagery, Ostriker captures the pain of betrayal and the disillusionment that comes when even the most well-intentioned relationships are torn apart by the forces of hate. The poem offers no easy solutions, only a sober acknowledgment that in a world that "dances with hate," betrayal and loss are, indeed, inevitable.

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