Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"I Am So in Love I Grow a New Hymen" by Sandra Cisneros is a vibrant, tumultuous exploration of love's transformative power, drawing on a wide array of historical, cultural, and personal references to convey the intensity and complexity of the speaker's emotions. Through vivid imagery and passionate declarations, Cisneros captures the chaotic, all-consuming nature of love, likening it to a series of disruptive, revolutionary forces and iconic figures.

The poem opens with a declaration of love as a force of chaos and rebellion, likened to "terrorists of the last decade" and "anarchists who fled / with my heart thudding on the back / bumper of a flatbed truck." This imagery sets the tone for the poem, portraying love as an uncontrollable, fugitive force that has stolen the speaker's heart and set her life on an unpredictable course.

The references to "Nelson Algren impersonators" and "Joe Hill detonators" invoke figures associated with resistance and defiance, further emphasizing the rebellious nature of the love the speaker experiences. The mention of "politically-correct-Marxist-tourists/voyeurs" adds a layer of critique and complexity, suggesting a love that is both idealistic and scrutinized, engaged with the world's struggles yet also viewed from a distance.

The poem's middle section shifts to a series of metaphors that capture the competitive and often painful aspects of love, comparing it to "Olympic gold, silver, bronze love- / triathlons" and acknowledging the speaker's history of love as a series of victories and losses ("Forgot, forgotten, forget. / Past tense and no regrets").

The comparison of the speaker and her lover to historical and natural forces ("No doubt you’re Villa / and I’m Pershing’s dizzy troops. / No doubt I’m eucalyptus and you / a California conflagration") illustrates the dynamic, sometimes adversarial nature of their relationship, marked by both attraction and conflict.

The poem concludes with a series of declarations that assert the speaker's surrender to love's power despite its challenges ("Ay, daddy, daddy, I / don’t give a good goddamn"). The repeated refrain "I don’t give / a good / god / damn" serves as a defiant embrace of love in all its complexity, signaling the speaker's willingness to endure the turmoil and destruction it may bring for the sake of the profound connection and transformation it offers.

"I Am So in Love I Grow a New Hymen" is a testament to the overwhelming, often contradictory nature of love, blending historical references, personal confession, and lyrical intensity to convey the speaker's passionate engagement with the world and her lover. Cisneros crafts a poem that is both a celebration and a battle cry, acknowledging the pain and sacrifice inherent in love while affirming its unrivaled capacity to renew and redefine.

POEM TEXT: http://www.divasofverse.com/2016/01/i-am-so-in-love-i-grow-new-hymen-by.html

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