Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Muriel Rukeyser's "Woman as Market" is a contemplative and sensory-rich exploration of memory, perception, and the fleeting nature of understanding. The poem captures the speaker's attempt to recall a significant yet elusive moment experienced at a market, using vivid imagery to illustrate the interplay between forgetting and remembering.

The poem opens with an insistent question: "What was it? What was it?" This repetition immediately establishes a sense of urgency and confusion, drawing the reader into the speaker's quest for clarity. The line "Flashing beside me, lightning in daylight at the orange stand?" introduces a striking and surreal image, suggesting that the moment in question was both ordinary and extraordinary, as unexpected as lightning in daylight.

Rukeyser continues to describe the market scene with a keen eye for detail: "Along the ranks of eggs, beside the loaves of dark and light?" The contrast between dark and light loaves of bread emphasizes the diversity and richness of the market's offerings. This line also highlights the juxtaposition of the mundane (eggs and bread) with the extraordinary (the lightning-like flash), suggesting that profound experiences can occur in the most commonplace settings.

The poem's imagery becomes even more specific and sensory: "In a moment of morning, providing: / the moment of the eggplant? / the lemons? the fresh eggs?" Here, Rukeyser captures the essence of the market through its produce, evoking the colors, shapes, and textures that characterize such a space. The mention of "bright curves and curves of shadow" emphasizes the visual and tactile appeal of the market's goods, while also hinting at the complexity of memory and perception.

The poem then shifts to a series of introspective questions: "What did those forms say? What words have I forgotten? / what spoke to me from the day?" These questions underscore the speaker's struggle to grasp the significance of the moment they are trying to recall. The forms and words that seemed so vivid at the time now elude memory, reflecting the ephemeral nature of experience and the challenge of capturing its essence.

The reference to "God in the cloud? my life in my forgetting?" introduces a spiritual and existential dimension to the poem. The mention of "God in the cloud" suggests a divine presence or revelation, while "my life in my forgetting" points to the deeply personal nature of the speaker's quest. This line captures the tension between the search for meaning and the inevitability of forgetting, highlighting the fragility of human memory.

The poem concludes with a poignant admission: "I have forgotten what it was / that I have been trying to remember." This final line encapsulates the central theme of the poem, acknowledging the difficulty of holding onto fleeting moments and the inevitable gaps in our recollections. The speaker's acknowledgment of their forgetfulness is both a moment of clarity and a recognition of the limitations of memory.

In "Woman as Market," Rukeyser uses rich, sensory imagery and introspective questioning to explore the nature of memory and the challenge of capturing significant moments. The poem's vivid descriptions of the market and its goods serve as a metaphor for the complexity and richness of human experience, while the speaker's quest for understanding reflects the universal struggle to make sense of our past. Through its exploration of forgetting and remembering, the poem invites readers to reflect on their own experiences and the elusive nature of memory.

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