Review of Louise Gluck’s two poems

 Review of Louise Gluck’s two poems

I request readers to read the poems first from the above link and then my review. Thanks. 

1.Monologue at 9 AM

We can find plenty of fiction and poetry on breakups. The pain, the feeling of suffering from a rejection, the bitterness of having been let down, the disappointment, the shock and the fear of loneliness and the anxiety about the future and lot more find expressions in the works. But in this poem there is no break up yet. Actually there is no major incident. The female partner feels there is no bonding with her male partner. They don’t have anything to hope for either in future. Already sixteen years have passed together without any depth in the relationship. The relationship remains fragile and probably getting thinner. The partner who feels this vacuum sooner is the more sensitive person of the couple. The moment of realization of the unbridgeable gap by that person is the starting point of a very stressful and painful phase for him/her. There is no ‘we’ any more. It’s me and what’s next hence. An obsolescent relationship is worse than break up in impacting pain and anxiety. The poet has been successful in driving home the agony of waiting for the worst.

2. Dead end

‘Dead end’ is a rare insight into what a female partner cherishes in a relationship. Whether her expectation is contented with love letters (billets doux) or small gifts (bric-a-brac) or Vodka and chat in restaurants or is there something more relatable for her is the question. This poem gives a direct clear message to the reader, but is layered with the nature of human relationships. In fact the very narration itself moves the reader from the subjective outlook to objective. There are three characters in this poem the narrator and female partner, an angel and the male partner. The narrator appeals to the angel to end a prolonged near overdose of formal ‘give and takes’ and with no hope for depth and trust in the relationship. It shows she has no clues to finding a right partner. The appeal also reflects the expectation of the narrator to wait for the windfall relationship and till then settle for fun at least. There is no fun in the present relationship. Mind games like moves of two opposite chess players are fun. So we understand there is a fun element to relationship and taking chances to make or breakup relationships is the crux. There is a tinge of sadism in enjoying mind games in relationships. This poem certainly finds there is such an indulgence in all relationships. The narrator looks back and finds the previous partner was at least making the relationship engrossing with mind games. ‘Staying was my way of hitting back’ reflects the poet’s clarity on present day relationships. It’s very subtle. 'I stay and wait and watch – your getting burnt out is no far away’ this is a powerful depiction of the desperation found on both the partners. That is the dead end in relationships.