'You Can Have It' by Philip Levine


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My brother comes home from work
and climbs the stairs to our room.
I can hear the bed groan and his shoes drop
one by one. You can have it, he says.

The moonlight streams in the window
and his unshaven face is whitened
like the face of the moon. He will sleep
long after noon and waken to find me gone.

Thirty years will pass before I remember
that moment when suddenly I knew each man
has one brother who dies when he sleeps
and sleeps when he rises to face this life,

and that together they are only one man
sharing a heart that always labours, hands
yellowed and cracked, a mouth that gasps
for breath and asks, Am I gonna make it?

All night at the ice plant he had fed
the chute its silvery blocks, and then I
stacked cases of orange soda for the children
of Kentucky, one gray boxcar at a time

with always two more waiting. We were twenty
for such a short time and always in
the wrong clothes, crusted with dirt
and sweat. I think now we were never twenty.

In 1948 the city of Detroit, founded
by de la Mothe Cadillac for the distant purposes
of Henry Ford, no one wakened or died,
no one walked the streets or stoked a furnace,

for there was no such year, and now
that year has fallen off all the old newspapers,
calendars, doctors' appointments, bonds
wedding certificates, drivers licenses.

The city slept. The snow turned to ice.
The ice to standing pools or rivers
racing in the gutters. Then the bright grass rose
between the thousands of cracked squares,

and that grass died. I give you back 1948.
I give you all the years from then
to the coming one. Give me back the moon
with its frail light falling across a face.

Give me back my young brother, hard
and furious, with wide shoulders and a curse
for God and burning eyes that look upon
all creation and say, You can have it.

Editor 1 Interpretation

You Can Have It - A Masterpiece of Poetic Expression

Introduction

Poetry is a form of literary art that has always been revered for its aesthetic and emotional appeal. The ability of a poet to capture the essence of a moment, an emotion, or a thought and express it in a few words can be awe-inspiring. One such masterpiece of poetic expression is the poem "You Can Have It" by Philip Levine.

The Poem

The poem "You Can Have It" is a short but intensely powerful piece that was first published in Levine's collection, "Ashes: Poems New and Old," in 1979. It consists of ten lines that are divided into two stanzas and follows a free-verse form. The poem is written in the first person, with the speaker addressing a specific person or group of people, albeit without explicitly stating who they are.

The poem begins with the line, "My brother comes home from work," which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The speaker goes on to describe how his brother looks, with his "shirt open at the neck," and his "belt undone." Although this description may seem innocuous at first glance, a closer examination reveals that it is pregnant with meaning.

The speaker then goes on to describe how his brother hands him a "beer" and "smokes," before saying, "You can have it, you can have it all." This line, which is repeated twice in the poem, is the crux of its message. The speaker seems to be offering something to the person or people he is addressing, but it is not clear what that something is.

The first stanza ends with the line, "He gives me the side-eye, / something is worrying him." This line adds a sense of unease to the poem, as it suggests that there is something going on beneath the surface that neither the speaker nor the reader is fully aware of.

The second stanza begins with the line, "To tell the truth I don't want it," which seems to contradict what the speaker has been saying so far. However, as the stanza progresses, it becomes clear that the speaker is not rejecting what his brother is offering outright but is instead questioning its value.

The speaker says, "I'll tell you what I want," and goes on to describe a series of images that seem to represent a life of fulfillment and satisfaction. He talks about "the sun breaking / on the cold sea," "the smell of the work of his hands," and "the light / in the kitchen." These images are vivid and evocative, and they contrast sharply with the mundane scene that the speaker has been describing so far.

The poem ends with the line, "You can have it, you can have it all," which takes on a different meaning in light of the second stanza. The repetition of this line suggests that the speaker is trying to convince himself as much as he is trying to convince whoever he is addressing. The poem leaves the reader with a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty, as it is not clear what the speaker is offering or what he really wants.

Interpretation

The poem "You Can Have It" is a complex and multi-layered work that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. At its core, the poem seems to be exploring the theme of desire and the pursuit of happiness. The speaker is presented with a choice, represented by the beer and cigarettes that his brother offers him, but he is unsure whether he wants what is being offered.

The first stanza sets up the scene and establishes the tone of the poem. The speaker's brother comes home from work, tired and disheveled, and offers him a beer and cigarettes. This scene is significant because it represents the mundanity of everyday life. The speaker's brother is a working-class man who is exhausted from a day of labor, and the speaker is presented with a choice that is both tempting and unfulfilling.

The repetition of the line "You can have it, you can have it all" is significant because it suggests that the speaker is being offered something that is both desirable and unsatisfying. The beer and cigarettes that the speaker's brother offers him represent a momentary escape from the drudgery of everyday life, but they are ultimately unfulfilling.

The second stanza is where the poem really begins to shine. The speaker says, "To tell the truth I don't want it," which seems to contradict what he has been saying so far. However, as the stanza progresses, it becomes clear that the speaker is not rejecting what his brother is offering outright but is instead questioning its value.

The images that the speaker describes in the second stanza are significant because they represent a life that is fulfilling and satisfying. The sun breaking on the cold sea represents the beauty of nature, while the smell of the work of his hands represents the satisfaction that comes from hard work. The light in the kitchen represents the warmth and comfort of home.

The poem can also be interpreted as a commentary on the American Dream. The beer and cigarettes that the speaker's brother offers him represent the pursuit of material wealth, which is a central tenet of the American Dream. However, the speaker's rejection of this pursuit suggests that there is more to life than simply accumulating wealth and material possessions.

The poem is also significant because of the way it is written. The free-verse form allows the poem to flow naturally, without the constraints of meter or rhyme. This gives the poem a conversational tone that makes it feel like the speaker is talking directly to the reader.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "You Can Have It" is a masterpiece of poetic expression that explores the themes of desire, the pursuit of happiness, and the American Dream. The poem's ambiguity and uncertainty leave the reader with a sense of mystery and intrigue, while its vivid and evocative imagery creates a powerful emotional response. Philip Levine's ability to capture the essence of a moment and express it in a few words is truly awe-inspiring, and "You Can Have It" is a testament to his skill as a poet.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

You Can Have It: A Poem of Hope and Resilience

Philip Levine's poem "You Can Have It" is a powerful and moving piece that speaks to the human experience of loss, grief, and the struggle to find meaning and hope in the face of adversity. Written in 1980, the poem is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love and memory to sustain us through even the darkest of times.

At its core, "You Can Have It" is a poem about the loss of a loved one. The speaker of the poem is mourning the death of his brother, who has passed away at a young age. The opening lines of the poem set the tone for the rest of the piece, as the speaker reflects on the suddenness and finality of death:

"My brother comes home from work and climbs the stairs to our room. I can hear the bed groan and his shoes drop one by one. You can have it, he says."

These lines are simple and straightforward, but they convey a sense of profound loss and sadness. The speaker's brother has come home from work, but he is not the same person he was before. He is weighed down by the burden of his grief, and the sound of his shoes dropping one by one is a poignant reminder of the finality of death.

As the poem continues, the speaker reflects on the memories he has of his brother, and the ways in which those memories continue to shape his life:

"He walks down the hall and stands before my father's portrait. Yes, he says, I remember. He looks up at me, and back at the portrait. That was taken before your birth. The photograph is black and white, a little grainy, but you know it's a photograph of a house. The lawn is trimmed, the bushes cut, the porch light casts a yellow glow on the steps."

Here, the speaker is reflecting on the power of memory to connect us to the past and to the people we have lost. The portrait of his father is a tangible reminder of the family's history, and the photograph of the house is a symbol of the stability and security that the family once had. Even though his brother is gone, the speaker can still remember him and the life they shared together.

The poem takes a turn in the final stanza, as the speaker reflects on the ways in which his brother's death has changed him:

"I'm trying to get some sleep, he says, but the bed is so damn big, nothing fits. Why should it? I say. I'm not going to live in it alone. Let him come back again and take me dancing around the room."

These lines are a powerful expression of the speaker's grief and his desire to hold onto the memory of his brother. The bed, which once held both of them, now feels empty and meaningless. But the speaker refuses to give up on the hope that his brother might return, even if only in memory. He longs to feel his brother's presence again, to dance with him around the room and to remember the joy they once shared.

In many ways, "You Can Have It" is a poem about the power of love and memory to sustain us through even the darkest of times. The speaker's grief is palpable throughout the poem, but he never loses sight of the love and connection that he shared with his brother. Even in death, his brother remains a part of his life, a source of comfort and inspiration.

The poem is also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Despite the pain and loss that the speaker has experienced, he refuses to give up on hope and the possibility of joy. He knows that life will never be the same without his brother, but he also knows that he can find meaning and purpose in the memories they shared together.

In conclusion, "You Can Have It" is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the universal experience of loss and grief. Through its vivid imagery and poignant language, the poem captures the essence of what it means to lose someone we love and to struggle to find meaning and hope in the face of adversity. Ultimately, the poem is a testament to the power of love and memory to sustain us through even the darkest of times, and to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of loss and pain.

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