Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker’s "Single Woman Speaking" is a rich and introspective poem that delves into the complexities of desire, imagination, and the interplay between reality and fantasy in the life of a single woman. Through a series of vivid and surreal images, the poem explores the tension between the idealized lover constructed in the mind and the tangible, yet often disappointing, reality of relationships. The speaker grapples with the longing for love and the simultaneous desire for autonomy, all while recognizing the ephemeral nature of the fantasies that sustain her.

The poem begins by introducing the concept of the "imaginary lover," a figure who exists not in reality but as a projection of the speaker’s desires and dreams. This lover is described as "form in the mind / On whom, as on a screen, I project designs, / Images," suggesting that this figure is both malleable and idealized, crafted to meet the speaker’s emotional needs. The use of cinematic language ("screen," "project designs") implies that this lover is a creation of the speaker’s imagination, akin to a movie playing in her mind, offering her a sense of fulfillment and escape.

The speaker describes how the presence of this imaginary lover causes her to "dilate / Until I become a flock of puffy doves," a metaphor that conveys the expansive and exhilarating effect of this fantasy on her psyche. The doves, symbols of peace and love, are conjured up in a magician's hat, their appearance both wondrous and illusory. The image of "pigeonblood- / Red hearts beating, pure wings set for flight" emphasizes the intensity of the speaker’s emotions—her heart beats with passion, but this passion is also fragile, ready to disperse and disappear like the doves. The applause from the "astonished audience" in the "auditorium" suggests that this fantasy is not just private; it is performed, shared with the world, even if only metaphorically.

However, the doves eventually "circle and settle / Back in the brooding hat," a return to the starting point, highlighting the cyclical nature of these fantasies. The imagery of "tucked muffins, / White contours begging caressing fingers" introduces a sensual, almost tactile quality to the speaker’s longing, yet the "thready / Magenta entrails packed inside each one" hint at the underlying vulnerability and messiness of these desires.

The poem shifts to address the connection between the speaker and the "playful stranger" with whom she has danced, eaten, and engaged in casual, flirtatious encounters. These interactions are fleeting, filled with "pretend" intimacy, and the speaker questions how long these illusions can be sustained, comparing them to "magicians' scarves tossed in the air." The scarves, like the doves, represent the delicate and temporary nature of these fantasies—beautiful but ultimately insubstantial.

As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the passage of time and her own evolving relationship with these fantasies. She acknowledges that she has been dreaming "for decades" since the first boy who captured her imagination, yet she is only "half ashamed" of these enduring fantasies. The other half of her remains "shameless," even "enchanted" by the power of her imagination to create storms out of her emotional dryness, to conjure lovers who may never exist in reality.

The speaker’s reflection on her "dewy cave / Cut in the living rock" introduces an image of natural, enduring sensuality, a place where these fantasies are born and where the speaker’s desires are kept alive. This cave, both a refuge and a source of creative power, symbolizes the depth and complexity of the speaker’s inner world, a place where she can retreat and from which she can draw strength.

The poem culminates in a direct address to the "reality" that contrasts with the speaker’s imaginative creations. The "actual masculine" is represented by tangible details like "corduroy pants," grounding the poem in the physical world. Yet, the speaker admits that without this reality, her "invention invents nothing," suggesting that even her fantasies are rooted in some form of lived experience, even if that experience is not fully satisfying.

In the final lines, the speaker expresses a longing for "liberty," "excitement," "lullaby," "wickedness," and "goodness"—a complex array of desires that span the emotional spectrum. These desires are likened to "sleepy musicians" who, familiar with the routine, can still improvise something beautiful and unexpected. The "amused magician" who "Lets his doves out, murmurs them home again / And draws more iridescent scarves from his sleeve" represents the speaker’s acceptance of the ongoing cycle of fantasy and reality, the interplay between what is imagined and what is real.

"Single Woman Speaking" is a profound exploration of the emotional landscape of a single woman who navigates the tensions between fantasy and reality, desire and independence. Through its rich imagery and reflective tone, the poem captures the beauty and fragility of the imagined lovers who populate the speaker’s mind, while also acknowledging the grounding presence of reality. Ostriker’s poem ultimately celebrates the power of the imagination to create and sustain, even as it recognizes the limitations and impermanence of those creations.

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