Why I love this poem:

The Key to Everything 
     by May Swenson 

Is there anything I can do 
or has everything been done 
or do 
you prefer somebody else to do 
it or don't 
you trust me to do 
it right or is it hopeless and no one can do 
a thing or do 
you suppose I don't 
really want to do 
it and am just saying that or don't 
you hear me at all or what? 
You're 
waiting for 
the right person the doctor or 
the nurse the father or 
the mother or 
the person with the name you keep 
mumbling in your sleep 
that no one ever heard of there's no one 
named that really 
except yourself maybe 
If I knew what your 
name was I'd 
prove it's your 
name spelled backwards or 
twisted in some way the one you 
keep mumbling but you 
won't tell me your 
name or 
don't you know it 
yourself that's it 
of course you've 
forgotten or 
never quite knew it or 
weren't willing to believe it 
 
Then there is something I 
can do I 
can find your name for you 
that's the key to everything once you'd 
repeat it clearly you'd 
come awake you'd 
get up and walk knowing where you're 
going where you 
came from 
And you'd 
love me 
after that or would you 
hate me? 
no once you'd 
get there you'd 
remember and love me 
of course I'd 
be gone by then I'd 
be far away. 
From Another Animal by May Swenson. Published by Scribner. Copyright © 1954 the Literary Estate of May Swenson

I remember reading this when I was in my early 20s or so & just being absolutely taken with it. Even now, a decade & a half later, the sentiment here still resonates with me. This poem pretty much encapsulates the way I operated with my friends for the longest time (and still do to some extent.) The 1st stanza is just really one long sentence, increasingly frantic in tone as it progresses. You can almost hear the poet's voice reaching almost a ranting tone as the series of questions continue. The poet seems to be trying to define her place in the subject's reality based on the subject's apparent needs. As we move into the second stanza (which is lacking punctuation, another sign of the poet's increased frenzy), we see that the poet has identified what the subject is "waiting for," i.e. what the subject needs that the poet is not providing. By the 3rd stanza, the poet admits a lack of knowledge of the subject ("If I knew what your/name was I'd/prove it's your/name spelled backwards...") but affirms her desire to make herself useful, valuable to the subject. In the penultimate stanza, the poet has identified her perception of the subject's need ("that's the key to everything") as well as the results of her help (you'd/ come awake you'd/ get up and walk knowing where you're/ going where you/came from). This implies that at the time the poem is written, the subject doesn't know where he/she is going nor where he/she came from, but that the poet's identification of the subject's true self will will put the subject on the path to greatness. The closing stanza deals with the repurcussions to the poet herself, which are initially in question ("you'd/ love me/ after that or would you/ hate me?") As the poet reassures herself that the results of her help would actually make the subject love her, she also reassures herself that no matter the result, she will be safe ("of course I'd/ be gone by then I'd/ be far away.")--thus protecting herself from being abandoned by abandoning the person she loves. The length of the lines and the tendency to distance the subject pronouns from the verbs ("you'd/ love me/ after that or would you/ hate me?") emphasizes not only the isolation of the poet but the subject from not just each other but from themselves--after all, the poet doesn't know the subject's name, yet she is intimate enough with the subject to know that he/she calls out a name in his/her sleep.

I remember thinking that this poem was the key to everything. That if I could just identify what people need & give it to them, they'd love me, but by the time they realized it, I would be safe & busy with giving someone else what he/she needed. But I never asked the question, but when do I start doing that for myself???

http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/reading/swenson/swen-bang.html