The Speaker

The speaker contemplates her memory of a woman in her community who used to undress and give an opera performance while wading in the sea. This prompts a reflection on the limits of human expression and the longing for transcendence. The present-day speaker is older, and age affords her a layer of maturity as she recognizes the way her younger self knew, even then, that the opera singer's performance meant something deeper. The "song within the song" reveals the limitations of a body and its expressions (25). All the while, the speaker acknowledges beauty and suffering as conditions that can walk hand in hand.

The Folk Opera Singer

The narrative in the poem centers on a woman who used to remove her clothes, step into the sea, and give an opera performance at community gatherings. A reverent hush would fall over the circle as they listened to her...