Not the Thing I Asked For
Poem Review: “Closing Time; Iskandariya” by Brigit Pegeen Kelly
“Closing Time; Iskandariya” by Brigit Pegeen Kelly is a strange and puzzling poem. I read it and re-read it without any context, trying to pull it apart to make sense. But then, of course, I started googling to find out more about Brigit Pegeen Kelly, more about the burning of the library in Alexandria, more about the distinctions between fish and scorpion. But I will not detail all of that here, so as not to ruin your first impressions or mar your investigations. I often find that the most interesting interpretations of poems come without too much context. Plus, the most pleasurable and fulfilling investigations are led by oneself.
“In truth, it is shy, the scorpion, a creature with eight eyes and almost no sight, who shuns the daylight, and is driven mad by fire, who favors the lonely spot, and feeds on nothing much, and only throws out its poison barb when backed against a wall — a thing like me, but not the thing I asked for, a thing, by accident or design, I am now attached to.”
What I will say is that this is an extremely rich poem. It is sharp and colorful. It is image-driven almost to the point of actual visual perception. Illustrating this poem would not be hard. But what is the poem actually telling us? What is it that the narrator wants us to understand about the difference between fish and scorpion? And what does that difference mean for the narrator’s present and future? What does the scorpion have to do with the myth of the burning library of Alexandria? What was the narrator asking for from God? And why didn’t they get it?
“And so I draw the curtains, and so I lay out strange dishes, and so I step softly, and so I do not speak, and only twice, in many years, have I been stung, both times because, unthinking, I let in the terrible light.”
Read the full poem at the link below, then come back here and let me know what you think in the comments. I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this poem. What specific images spoke to you? What lines stood out to you? I am especially interested in discussing this poem with people who haven’t done all of the proper research (spoilsports!).
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/opinion/closing-time-iskandariya.html
