Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's "Baby Picture" is a haunting and introspective exploration of identity, memory, and the passage of time. The poem reflects on the distance between the self captured in a childhood photograph and the self that exists in the present, revealing a deep sense of dislocation and questioning the continuity of identity.

The poem begins with a vivid description of a childhood smile, "caught here in the painted photograph," which is described as lying "in the heart of the grape," "in the good-bye-bow in the hair," and "in the clerical collar of the dress." These images are at once specific and symbolic, evoking innocence, simplicity, and the formalities of childhood. The repetition of "where that smile lies" emphasizes the effort to locate or pin down the essence of that childhood self, as if the smile is a key to understanding who the speaker once was.

However, this smile and the photograph it inhabits are not immune to the ravages of time. The photograph is described as "peeling now," with "a kind of cancer of the background / and also in the assorted features." The comparison of the photograph to something decaying—a "rotten flag" or a "vegetable from the refrigerator, / pocked with mold"—underscores the inevitability of aging and the loss of clarity over time. The physical deterioration of the photograph mirrors the speaker's own sense of aging "without sound, / into darkness, darkness," suggesting a quiet, inevitable decline.

The poem's central question—"Anne, / who were you?"—is both a plea and a lament. The speaker is grappling with the disconnect between the image of the child in the photograph and the self she has become. The use of the third person, referring to herself as "Anne," creates a sense of detachment, as if the speaker is looking at a stranger rather than her own younger self.

The subsequent lines delve into the physical and emotional unraveling of the speaker. The act of opening her "vein" results in blood that "rings like roller skates," a metaphor that captures both the playful energy of childhood and the harsh, metallic sound of something being ground down. The "teeth" that are "an angry army" and the "eyes" that "go sick like dogs" with what they have seen convey a sense of accumulated trauma and anger. The body, once vibrant and full of potential, is now described in terms of deterioration—hair that "falls apart like dust balls" and a body that is reduced to a child "bent on a toilet seat," a vulnerable and undignified image.

The act of "pushing the enemas out like ice cream" is particularly jarring, juxtaposing the innocence of a child's treat with the unpleasant reality of a medical procedure. This image reflects the speaker's sense of a childhood that has been tainted or corrupted, where even the most basic bodily functions are fraught with discomfort and shame. The transformation of "the whole brown world / into sweets" suggests a desperate attempt to find comfort or sweetness in a world that is otherwise harsh and unforgiving.

The poem ends with a return to the question of identity, now phrased as "Anne, / who are you?" The shift from past to present tense indicates that the speaker is not only questioning her past self but also struggling to understand who she is in the present. The final line—"Merely a kid keeping alive"—is both poignant and resigned. It suggests that, despite all the complexities and challenges of life, the speaker sees herself as having survived, but perhaps with little more than the basic instinct to "keep alive."

"Baby Picture" is a powerful meditation on the disjunction between the self as it was in childhood and the self that has endured the passage of time. Through stark and often unsettling imagery, Sexton conveys the pain of growing up, the erosion of innocence, and the struggle to reconcile the person one was with the person one has become. The poem's exploration of identity is deeply personal yet universal, speaking to the shared human experience of aging, loss, and the relentless march of time.

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