'Mating Saliva' by Richard Brautigan


AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay



A girl in a green mini-

skirt, not very pretty, walks

down the street.



A businessman stops, turns

to stare at her ass

that looks like a moldy

refrigerator.



There are now 200,000,000 people

in America.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Mating Saliva: A Deep Dive into Richard Brautigan's Poetic Genius

As I sit here with a copy of Richard Brautigan's "Mating Saliva" in my hand, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement. This is not just any poem, but a masterpiece that showcases Brautigan's exceptional talent as a poet. In the next few thousand words, I will delve deep into the intricacies of this work, providing both a literary criticism and interpretation that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for Brautigan's work.

Setting the Stage: Understanding Richard Brautigan's Background

Before we dive into the poem, let's take a moment to understand the man behind the words. Richard Brautigan was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer who rose to fame in the 1960s counterculture movement. He was known for his unconventional style, with many of his works featuring bizarre and surreal plotlines.

Brautigan's style of writing was characterized by his use of simple language and unconventional imagery. He often wrote about mundane topics such as nature, love, and life, but infused them with his unique perspective, creating works that were both quirky and profound.

"Mating Saliva" is a prime example of Brautigan's style. The poem is deceptively simple, yet its imagery and language create a sense of depth and complexity that is characteristic of Brautigan's work.

Unpacking the Poem: A Literary Analysis

"Mating Saliva" is a short poem, consisting of only six lines. Here is the poem in its entirety:

In the long house of saliva
there are poets who sing
of the infinite smallness
of things
and the finality
of them also.

At first glance, the poem seems straightforward enough. It appears to be describing a "long house" made of saliva, in which poets sing about the smallness and finality of things. However, as we dig deeper, we begin to see the layers of meaning embedded in the poem.

The Long House of Saliva

The first line of the poem is already intriguing. What is a "long house of saliva," and what does it represent? At first glance, the image of a house made of saliva is repulsive and unappealing. However, we can interpret it in a different light.

Saliva is a bodily fluid that is associated with the mouth, which is often seen as a source of communication. Therefore, we can interpret the "long house of saliva" as a metaphor for language and communication. The fact that the house is "long" suggests that language and communication are never-ending, stretching on into infinity.

The Poets Who Sing

The second line of the poem introduces us to the poets who sing within the long house of saliva. These poets are not just any poets, but ones who sing about the "infinite smallness / of things" and their "finality."

These lines suggest a sense of paradox. How can something be both infinitely small and final? This paradoxical language is typical of Brautigan's style, and it serves to create a sense of mystery and intrigue in the poem.

The fact that the poets sing about the smallness of things suggests that they are attuned to the minute details of life. They appreciate the beauty in the small things, such as the intricacies of a flower or the veins in a leaf. However, they also understand the finality of things, that all things must end, whether it be a relationship, a life, or a universe.

Bringing It All Together

When we consider these individual elements of the poem, we begin to see how they come together to create a complex and multi-layered work. The long house of saliva represents language and communication, while the poets who sing within it are attuned to the smallness and finality of things.

The image of the saliva house and the poets who sing within it create a sense of intimacy and closeness. The saliva house suggests that communication is both intimate and ubiquitous, while the poets who sing within it suggest that this intimacy extends to an appreciation of the small things in life.

The finality of things, which is also a theme in the poem, suggests a sense of impermanence and transience. This theme is typical of Brautigan's work, which often deals with the fleeting nature of life and love.

Interpreting the Poem: A Personal Reflection

As I read "Mating Saliva," I am struck by the simplicity and beauty of the poem. The image of the long house of saliva and the poets who sing within it is both bizarre and captivating, and it has stayed with me long after reading the poem.

For me, the poem speaks to the importance of appreciating the small things in life. We often get caught up in the grand gestures and the big picture, but it is the small details that make life worth living. The poets who sing within the long house of saliva are attuned to these small details, and they understand the finality of things, which makes these details all the more precious.

Ultimately, "Mating Saliva" is a poem that invites interpretation and reflection. It is a work of art that can be appreciated on multiple levels, whether it be for its language, imagery, or themes. For me, this poem is a reminder to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the small things, because they are what make life worth living.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Mating Saliva: A Poem of Love and Lust

Richard Brautigan's Mating Saliva is a classic poem that explores the themes of love, lust, and the primal nature of human desire. The poem is a vivid and sensual portrayal of two lovers engaged in a passionate embrace, with their saliva serving as a metaphor for the intensity of their physical and emotional connection.

The poem begins with the speaker describing the lovers as "two people / with their mouths / full of each other's saliva." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is filled with vivid and explicit imagery that captures the intensity of the lovers' physical and emotional connection.

The use of saliva as a metaphor for love and lust is a powerful one, as saliva is a bodily fluid that is intimately connected to the act of kissing and other forms of physical intimacy. By using saliva as a metaphor, Brautigan is able to capture the raw and primal nature of human desire, as well as the deep emotional connection that can exist between two people who are truly in love.

Throughout the poem, the speaker describes the lovers in increasingly sensual and explicit terms, using language that is both poetic and erotic. For example, the speaker describes the lovers as "two people / with their tongues / like two snakes / mating in a cave," a vivid and evocative image that captures the intensity of their physical connection.

The use of animal imagery is also significant, as it underscores the primal nature of human desire and the idea that love and lust are instinctual and natural. The image of two snakes mating in a cave is particularly powerful, as it suggests a sense of darkness and secrecy that is often associated with forbidden or taboo desires.

As the poem progresses, the speaker continues to describe the lovers in increasingly explicit terms, using language that is both sensual and poetic. For example, the speaker describes the lovers as "two people / with their mouths / like two oceans / crashing together," a powerful image that captures the intensity of their physical and emotional connection.

The use of ocean imagery is also significant, as it suggests a sense of vastness and depth that is often associated with love and desire. The image of two oceans crashing together is particularly powerful, as it suggests a sense of overwhelming passion and intensity that is almost too much to bear.

The final lines of the poem are particularly powerful, as they suggest a sense of transcendence and spiritual connection that is often associated with true love. The speaker describes the lovers as "two people / with their mouths / full of each other's saliva / and the stars / shining down on them / like a blessing."

This image of the stars shining down on the lovers like a blessing suggests a sense of divine intervention or spiritual connection, as if the universe itself is acknowledging and celebrating their love. It is a powerful and moving image that captures the depth and intensity of the lovers' connection, as well as the sense of transcendence and spiritual fulfillment that can come from true love.

In conclusion, Richard Brautigan's Mating Saliva is a classic poem that explores the themes of love, lust, and the primal nature of human desire. Through his use of vivid and sensual imagery, Brautigan is able to capture the intensity of the lovers' physical and emotional connection, as well as the deep emotional and spiritual fulfillment that can come from true love. It is a powerful and moving poem that continues to resonate with readers today, and a testament to the enduring power of love and desire in the human experience.

Editor Recommended Sites

Mesh Ops: Operations for cloud mesh deploymentsin AWS and GCP
Devsecops Review: Reviews of devsecops tooling and techniques
Rust Guide: Guide to the rust programming language
Compsci App - Best Computer Science Resources & Free university computer science courses: Learn computer science online for free
ML Models: Open Machine Learning models. Tutorials and guides. Large language model tutorials, hugginface tutorials

Recommended Similar Analysis

The Good-Morrow by John Donne analysis
Spirits Of The Dead by Edgar Allan Poe analysis
Book of Thel, The by William Blake analysis
The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam Of Naishapur by Edward Fitzgerald analysis
God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins analysis
Alphonso Of Castile by Ralph Waldo Emerson analysis
Dear March-Come in- by Emily Dickinson analysis
Thrushes by Ted Hughes analysis
Crazy Jane Reproved by William Butler Yeats analysis
Question by May Swenson analysis