Poetry Unbound Rita Dove — Eurydice, Turning
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Apr 11, 2022 Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove discusses using myth to communicate with her mother suffering from memory loss. Themes of gentleness, love, and patience unravel in a phone call, merging personal experiences with Greek mythology.
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Evening Phone Rituals Reveal Change
- Rita Dove describes calling home each evening as her brother answers and sometimes passes the phone to their mother.
- The brief exchanges reveal a changed relationship where small phrases like “Hello, Rita” carry deep emotional weight.
Myth Illuminates Recognition Versus Change
- Rita Dove likens hearing her mother's voice to Orpheus hearing Eurydice, mistaking presence for permanence.
- The myth highlights how recognition can mask irreversible change in a loved one.
Letting Go As A Needed Grief
- The Orpheus myth becomes a lesson about letting go and accepting that beloveds may exist in different times simultaneously.
- Rita Dove uses this to show the necessity of grieving without trying to restore the past.