16 pages • 32 minutes read
Poem for Haruko
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Symbols & Motifs
The Hair of the Beloved
Hair does not make an extended appearance in “Poem for Haruko,” but its presence makes a fiery statement. The speaker sets a dramatic scene before the reader is even aware the speaker is referring to her lover’s hair, backlighting the cascading tresses so the lacey airspace around the lover’s crown is saturated in soft candlelight. The speaker notes “the full length” of their lover’s hair, allowing the reader to imagine a luxurious mane. The sight of the beloved’s hair is so dear to the speaker, so moving, that they liken it to “a shower / organized by God” (Lines 5-6). In keeping with the dichotomies of the poem, the hair is both water and fire—it is “a shower” (Line 5) and at the same time its “brown and auburn / undulations” (Lines 7-8) mimic flames. This first stanza gets at the high passion of a romance at its apex, when passion feels like an experience of the spirit as well as of the body. As the poem progresses, the point of view gets farther and farther from the “solid heat / of lust” (Lines 22-23), but in the first stanza, the speaker is close enough to see the play of light in each strand of their beloved’s hair and to worship it.
The Shore
There is something inherently romantic about the shore. It’s the end of the world, the perfect place to stand, fingers entwined with one’s beloved’s, and look out upon the distant horizon. One feels both small and infinite. In “Poem for Haruko,” the shore is also the scene in which the speaker and their lover are most companionable. They eat fruit; they smoke. They stroll, hand in hand. The speaker remembers not only the ease of the setting and situation, but the easy comportment of their beloved: “How easily you held / my hand” (Lines 15-16). The mood is light; it’s a day at the beach. It is only at the end of the stanza that any cloud appears on the horizon.
The lovers are situated “beside the low tide / of the world” (Lines 17-18). On one hand, low tide is a great time to walk on the shore. The water is at its most shallow, and there is all manner of sea life to observe, as the receding water exposes whatever was living or resting beneath the surface at high tide. On the other hand, the speaker is not speaking exclusively of the beach but of “the low tide / of the world” (Lines 17-18), hinting at a larger scenario. Low tide represents the lowest level, the lowest point. War and poverty persist; bias persists. It becomes a testament to the beloved that they hold the speaker’s hand so “easily” (Line 15) at the end of the world.
The Bridge
A bridge is many things, including a span, a connection, and a construction. It extends, linking one body to another, where otherwise the two bodies would remain remote. A bridge is a kind of reach. In the third stanza of “Poem for Haruko,” the speaker leaves “a bridge […] behind” (Line 21), thus forfeiting their opportunity to connect.
The speaker delves into memory to “relive an evening of retreat” (Line 20), and as the mood of the poem is generally one of longing and a kind of sadness, it’s tempting to fault the speaker for their decision to leave passion behind. However, while a bridge provides passage from one place to another place, the crossing is not without risk. The deep complexity of “passion spins its infinite / tergiversations in between the bitter / and the sweet” (Lines 25-27) indicates that the speaker mistrusted their footing on the bridge; they couldn’t see their way clearly and so was afraid.
Or, if not fearful, the speaker may have balked at the imprecision of love and its vagaries. One knows what lies on the side of the bridge one stands on; the other side is mysterious new territory, and who knows if the bridge would hold for a return trip. It is only well after the fact that the speaker reconsiders their choice to stay on familiar ground rather than cross the expanse to the unknown.
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