This poem appears to be a meditation on loss, the fragility of dreams, and the intimate pain that comes with realizing something you created, held dear, or once desired has dissolved or become unreachable. Here’s a deeper look into its imagery and themes:
Line-by-Line Analysis:
"Gauzy film between / evergreens is a web"
The "gauzy film" evokes something delicate and ethereal, like a spider's web, barely visible and suspended between the trees. This web is immediately connected with "loss," setting a reflective, melancholy tone. The web here could symbolize the thin, fragile threads of hope, memory, or connection that hang between experiences or people."of loss. Get closer. Reach / to touch the shimmering"
These lines encourage the reader to approach and try to touch this "web" of loss, reflecting the human impulse to reach for what we’ve lost or to hold on to memories. The "shimmering" aspect of the web emphasizes its beauty but also its fleeting nature, capturing how our yearnings and memories often appear almost tangible but vanish when we try to grasp them."gossamer and your finger / pushes through."
The gossamer is fragile, and when touched, it simply gives way. This moment of realization—where the attempt to reach something meaningful or beautiful results in its disintegration—reflects the elusiveness of past dreams, memories, or desires. It's a reminder that some things are beyond our control, no matter how much we reach for them."Remember / filling that space with desire?"
Here, the poet invites introspection, reminding the speaker (and perhaps the reader) of past hopes or dreams that once filled this now-empty space. This line suggests that there was once a deep longing or an intense desire connected to this intangible web, but now it is hollow, a shadow of what once was."Someone else might grieve / the spider who abandoned / this home; others grow anxious"
The spider, as the creator of the web, represents someone who may have once invested in this place or idea but has since left. The grief for the abandoned spider can reflect empathy or sadness for those who move on or lose something precious. Meanwhile, the others who "grow anxious" show a contrasting reaction, perhaps worrying about how the next inevitable force—a deer, symbolizing nature’s unpredictability—will disrupt it."waiting for a deer’s walk / to wreck it. But you—"
The deer here could symbolize an innocent, powerful force that doesn’t mean to destroy but will inevitably trample over fragile things. This suggests how dreams, memories, or connections can be destroyed by forces beyond our control, whether by time or by unintentional actions of others."you grieve the net of thought / spun inside your own womb:"
This line turns inward, suggesting that the web represents something intensely personal—thoughts, dreams, ideas, or even hopes nurtured and cherished deeply within oneself, like a mother carries life within her womb. "Grieving the net of thought" speaks to the pain of watching something you’ve put so much into slowly unravel or fail to materialize."intricate and glossy and strong."
The final line honors the strength, beauty, and complexity of this "net of thought." Even as it is something fragile and perhaps abandoned or broken, it is still admired for its intricacy and resilience.
Themes and Interpretation:
The poem’s primary themes revolve around loss, memory, fragility, and the deeply personal nature of creation. There’s a sense of mourning for things abandoned, whether they’re physical structures (like the spider’s web) or internal constructs (like cherished ideas or desires). The poem suggests that personal dreams and thoughts are intricate but delicate, subject to forces that may break them down despite our best efforts to preserve them.
The web could also represent how thoughts, ambitions, or plans weave together within us. We often nurture these dreams in a way that makes them feel vital and real, only to face the reality that they might remain unfulfilled, abandoned, or dissolved, either by our own hand or by external forces. In this way, the poem speaks to a universal experience: the vulnerability of hopes and the quiet, complex grief we hold for what might have been.
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Gauzy film between
evergreens is a web
of loss. Get closer. Reach
to touch the shimmering
gossamer and your finger
pushes through. Remember
filling that space with desire?
Someone else might grieve
the spider who abandoned
this home; others grow anxious
waiting for a deer’s walk
to wreck it. But you—
you grieve the net of thought
spun inside your own womb:
intricate and glossy and strong.