Marge Piercy: Doors opening, closing on us
Doors opening, closing on us
Maybe there is more of the magical
in the idea of a door than in the door
itself. It’s always a matter of going
through into something else. But
while some doors lead to cathedrals
arching up overhead like stormy skies
and some to sumptuous auditoriums
and some to caves of nuclear monsters
most just yield a bathroom or a closet.
Still, the image of a door is liminal,
passing from one place into another
one state to the other, boundaries
and promises and threats. Inside
to outside, light into dark, dark into
light, cold into warm, known into
strange, safe into terror, wind
into stillness, silence into noise
or music. We slice our life into
segments by rituals, each a door
to a presumed new phase. We see
ourselves progressing from room
to room perhaps dragging our toys
along until the last door opens
and we pass at last into was.
Discussion Questions
What does the idea of doors opening and closing evoke for you? What are the words and phrases that jump out at you?
Marge Piercy uses the image of the door as a boundary. How does your attention change when you walk thru a new door? Is it ultimately a solitary experience?
What does this reading teach us about how to better care for ourselves, our loved ones, and/or our patients?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“The constant motion and change of life. Some moments are spectacular or heartbreaking, but many are mundane, strung together they create a life. “The idea of the door” - hope for the future, for opportunity, for something new and different”—@jennifermcaputo
“In the context of medicine, as a patient, the idea of closing doors evokes memories of being dismissed, of being denied medical care, of symptoms being thought to be psychogenic and diagnostic workup and care being denied as a result, of unhelpful medical reports. The idea of opening doors evokes memories of doctors not giving up on me, of believing me, of having ideas for diagnostic or therapeutic options and of believing me and standing by my side even when they didn't have any more ideas, carrying the insecurity together.”—@OdyO11
“Since the door is a physical boundary does it always mean it’s a mental boundary as well? Change is happening around us all the time & we might not be as aware as we are going thru a door”—@iamritu
About this #MedHumChat
“Doors opening, closing on us” was paired with an excerpt from The Two Kinds of Decay, a novel by Sarah Manguso for a #MedHumChat discussion October 2, 2019 exploring Attention.
The pieces for this chat, along with the discussion questions, were selected by Ritu Thamman.
About the Author
Marge Piercy is an accomplished poet and novelist who has written 17 novels, received four honorary doctorates, and is active in antiwar, feminist and environmental causes. You can learn more about her here.