Gregg Poetry
Poet Linda Gregg often writes about her own life or similar situations. Her marriage and subsequent divorce with fellow poet Jack Gilbert led to a series of works about the end of relationships. Love gained and lost are found in much of her poetry, in addition to the never-ending determination to directly confront and come to terms with suffering. Her work is cut down narrative, with brief personal reflections dealing with intimate mental and physical experiences. The works often fall into the category of confessional poetry where the speaker describes her confused state of mind, which becomes a metaphor for the condition of the world around her. By starting out with the quote from Nietzsche, Gregg provides insight into the rest of the poem that follows. Actually, the quote comes a play about Nietzsche called "Madaman of Weimar," where the unbalanced Nietzsche claims: "I have no time for festivals, no time for love, for marriage, for children! It is a dear price
Suddenly, she is wrenched from the idea of spirit and freedom to live as one likes to reality: She hears a police siren that "runs through her heart," even though she realizes it is not for her. In other words, she is always on the defensive. Part of her knows that this relationship is wrong, despite the joy it brings. She is strong enough to accept the truth, even when called a "whore" by her lover's wife. "She was quiet, but inside said 'perhaps.' There is that dyad again, of choosing between two walks of life. On a second read through of this poem, one sees other such couplings and opposites, "summer", which one usually thinks of as sunny, but here associated with "dark." The "merging of opposite powers." "Winter" and "Summer." "Sun and shadow." The narrator, although saying she does not feel guilty about being with a married man, recognizes the dilemma. She knows people always warn that the man will return to his wife. However, she says, "Existence
Some common words found in the essay are:
Central Nietzsche's, Jack Gilbert, Madaman Weimar, Summer Sun, Nietzsche Gregg, Linda Gregg, narrator saying,
Approximate Word count = 653
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
