Incompatibilities

Tonight was Contemporary Lit. The selections we were to read for the week were mostly about relationships and sex. It's funny how we can all open up in the classroom when given a topic; but would probably never share these things if we were, say, in the student lounge.

The last work we discussed was the poem "Incompatibilities" by Ted Hughes. Earlier in the class, we had discussed how we construct meaning differently from others and were given a group exercise to come up with thesis statements (there were only 5 of us in class, 4 if you don't count the woman who didn't speak/contribute) that conflicted with each other. This was to show that we possessed the ability to interpret a passage in different ways.

It is very interesting now to reflect on the discussion we had on the Ted Hughes poem. I'd like to type it here, but I don't feel like going downstairs to get my book. I'm too comfy.

Anyhow, to me the poem was about (as it seems to state in the first two lines) how sexual desire can both unite and divide two people. About how two people can be physically connected and yet be so separate from each other. Two people with needs, neither can fulfill each other's. Duty sex.

There are two other people in class who speak aside from myself. They are my "peeps", we have all of our classes together- we're graduating together, same major and minor. It was amusing to see how they interpreted the poem so differently than I did and, reflecting on it now, how it applies to our lives so much.

One looked at it physically, visualizing specifically what was happening between the two people in a very romantic manner.

Another saw sparks flying everywhere. An intense sexual connection between the two people the entire time, the only division occurring post-climax when it's time to go off into your own world.

Then there was me, you've already read my interpretation. The classmate two paragraphs up is getting married next year, the classmate one paragraph up is a newlywed, and there's me- the one going through a divorce.

I'm amused. Can't help it.

But, I'm also a bit in love with a poem that, intentionally or not, very explicitly states what was missing. Perhaps eventually I'll be able to see a little of what the other two saw and it will be a lost and found.

On another note, the innocent crush I have on my teacher (no laughing, person to be married next year) was amplified when he handed back a paper full of red marks for my substandard punctuation. My heart beats just a little faster when I'm challenged grammatically.

A good night. And for those of you familiar with the countdown, two more days...