Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Karen Fleur Adcock’s "Thatcherland: Last Song" is a contemplative and elegiac meditation on the nature of symmetry, balance, and order, juxtaposed against the inevitability of entropy and change. Through rich imagery and an undercurrent of quiet resignation, the poem laments the passing of a familiar world defined by equilibrium and coherence, while foreshadowing an unpredictable and disjointed future.

The opening lines, "Goodbye, sweet symmetry. Goodbye, sweet world of mirror-images and matching halves," set a tone of farewell, as if bidding adieu to an ideal of harmony and balance. Symmetry, both literal and metaphorical, is celebrated as a defining feature of the natural and human world. The poet enumerates the paired elements that give life its sense of completeness—"eyes and ears and arms and breasts and balls and shoulder-blades and hands." These anatomical parallels serve as a microcosm of a larger universal order, where the doubling and mirroring of forms evoke a sense of stability and predictability.

Adcock’s language evokes the interconnectedness of all things, linking humans to animals, insects, and even the laws of aerodynamics: "birds and bats and butterflies and bees have balanced wings." The image of creatures with symmetrical wings, striving for balance even in flight, symbolizes a world that, despite its occasional imperfections, adheres to a semblance of order. Even the mundane and often maligned "flies" are given a moment of grace, as their ability to fly straight becomes a metaphor for the pursuit of equilibrium.

However, this equilibrium is not without its exceptions, which the poet artfully highlights. The introduction of sea creatures such as the "lop-sided lobster," the "wonky oyster," and the "creepily rotated flatfish" disrupts the idyll of symmetry. These anomalies, relegated to the depths of the ocean, underscore the precariousness of balance in the natural world. The sea becomes a metaphor for the margins of existence, where oddness is tolerated and even thrives, but remains outside the realm of the mammalian ideal.

The poet transitions from celebration to lamentation, mourning the impending loss of these "sweet certitudes." The phrase evokes not just the literal symmetry of the physical world but the philosophical and existential sense of order and reason. Symmetry, here, is more than a biological or aesthetic principle; it becomes a symbol of humanity itself. Adcock’s reflection on being "born with one eye or three thumbs" as markers of inhumanity reveals the deep cultural and evolutionary associations we place on balance and regularity as indicators of normalcy and belonging.

As the poem progresses, the tone shifts from lament to a resigned acknowledgment of transformation and decay. The poet envisions a future world that has "gone skew-whiff," a colloquial phrase that captures the absurdity and inevitability of a world out of alignment. This imagined future is one where symmetry and balance are no longer central to existence, and life itself becomes something unrecognizable—"we shall be algae or lichen." The invocation of algae and lichen, organisms that thrive in inhospitable and marginal environments, suggests a future of survival rather than flourishing. These life forms, which require neither symmetry nor complexity, stand in stark contrast to the vibrant, balanced creatures of the poet’s present world.

The final lines bring the meditation to a close with a startling inversion of natural hierarchy: "If the flounder still exists it will be king." The flounder, previously described as grotesque and "creepily rotated," becomes a symbol of the new order, where the odd and the asymmetrical reign supreme. This reversal is both humorous and sobering, emphasizing the fragility of the systems and values we hold dear. In the imagined post-human world, survival belongs to those creatures once relegated to the periphery of existence.

Adcock’s use of structure and rhythm reinforces the poem’s themes. The litany-like enumeration of symmetrical and asymmetrical forms creates a sense of order, even as the poem’s trajectory moves toward disintegration. The repetition of "Goodbye" lends a dirge-like quality to the poem, echoing the inevitability of loss. The closing lines, with their stark vision of a future ruled by the grotesque and the marginal, leave the reader with a sense of unresolved tension between acceptance and resistance.

"Thatcherland: Last Song" can be read as both a personal and political reflection. While the poem’s exploration of symmetry and entropy is universal, the title situates it within the context of Thatcher-era Britain, a time marked by significant social and economic upheaval. The farewell to symmetry may thus also symbolize the poet’s dismay at the erosion of societal balance and the rise of disorder and inequality. The poem’s elegiac tone resonates as a critique of a world in flux, where the familiar structures of harmony and fairness are giving way to unpredictability and disarray.

In its layered exploration of balance, loss, and transformation, Adcock’s poem invites readers to reflect on the fragility of the worlds—both natural and social—we inhabit. Through its poignant imagery and measured tone, it captures the tension between mourning what is lost and confronting the inevitability of change.

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