Analysis of “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith
‘Good Bones’ stands as the most celebrated poem by contemporary American poet Maggie Smith (born 1977) and is the titular piece from her third full-length collection, Good Bones (2017). Initially published in 2016, the poem delves into the darker facets of life, such as its fleeting nature, while the speaker strives to shield her young children from these harsh truths.
Summary
The speaker reflects on the brevity of life but chooses not to disclose this reality to her children. She is also intent on keeping them unaware of the various ways she may have contributed to her own life’s shortening, perhaps through indulgent yet unhealthy choices, as suggested by her repetitive use of the word ‘delicious’.
In fact, the speaker asserts that she views the world as being at least half bad, or ‘fifty percent terrible’, and perhaps even worse. She conceals this grim perspective from her children. To illustrate her claim of ‘fifty percent’, she contrasts the experiences of children: for every child who is cherished and well cared for, there exists another who faces mistreatment, neglect, or even worse fates. For each kind individual we encounter, there lurks another person willing to inflict harm.
The speaker admits to trying to ‘sell’ the world to her children, akin to a realtor showcasing a property that may have its flaws but still possesses potential. She emphasizes the ‘good bones’ of the world, suggesting that, with effort, it could evolve into a beautiful place.
Analysis
Maggie Smith’s poetry often grapples with the more somber or unpleasant aspects of existence while concurrently offering an uplifting message. Although the world may indeed be ‘at least’ half bad, filled with individuals who seek to undermine us, there also exists kindness and the possibility for improvement. Smith frequently weaves her children into her poetry, highlighting the contrasting perspectives of the knowing adult, who is acutely aware of life’s harsh realities, and the innocent, inherently optimistic child.
Ideally, the child’s perspective should be the one we embrace. However, to remain steadfast in blind positivity without acknowledging the challenges of life would leave us ill-prepared for the inevitable hardships that we all must face, such as the brevity of our existence and the self-destructive behaviors we might adopt to navigate through daily struggles.
Ultimately, the poem underscores that children have ample time to uncover the world’s truths as they grow older. During their formative years, it is essential to shield them from these realities—not only because they lack the resilience to confront numerous adult challenges but also because instilling hope in the younger generation is vital for envisioning a world that can be better than it currently is. As T.S. Eliot wisely noted, humankind cannot endure too much reality; children, in particular, should not be burdened with the complexities and anxieties of their parents’ lives.
In ‘Good Bones’, we hear the voice of the adult who acknowledges the unpleasant truths about the world, yet simultaneously reminds us that we must not strip away the belief in a kinder and more beautiful world from our children. To do so would likely hinder any chance of progress.
This endeavor does involve a degree of deception. Smith’s analogy between herself and the insincere realtor, attempting to ‘sell’ a property despite its flaws, reveals her awareness that she is not merely preserving her children’s innocence, but actively striving to enhance it. She aims to prevent them from noticing the cracks in the world that, as they grow, will inevitably become more visible.
Similar to the realtor eager to close a deal, Smith, or her speaker, recognizes that she too stands to gain by promoting this vision of a better world to her children. When we educate the next generation to be kinder, the entire community benefits.
For a deeper understanding of Smith’s work, it is worth comparing ‘Good Bones’ with another of her poems, ‘First Fall’, in which she carries one of her young children through the early morning light, showcasing the autumn trees and leaves during their first experience of fall. In that poem, after revealing to her child ‘the only things’ they yet comprehend as they ‘begin to end’, Smith’s speaker states: ‘The first time you see / something die, you won’t know it might / come back.’ Parenting, then, involves reassuring children that life holds the potential for renewal and optimism, even if this entails adopting the somewhat disingenuous tone of an estate agent.
Form
‘Good Bones’ is composed in unrhymed verse, lacking a consistent meter or rhythm. Yet, it does not fall into the category of free verse since the lines maintain a similar length, suggesting that Smith may have drawn inspiration from blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentameter, as a loose framework for her poem.
Blank verse, with its unrhymed structure and iambic pentameter that mirrors the rhythms of natural speech, fits the poem well, given the conversational tone Smith adopts. Like many of her other works, it carries its formal structure lightly; the repeated phrases (‘though I keep this from my children’, ‘life is short’) reflect statements people might naturally reiterate for rhetorical emphasis in everyday conversation.
Moreover, while the poem lacks a regular rhyme scheme, there are instances where two consecutive lines end with the same word: ‘ways’/‘ways’ and ‘beautiful’/‘beautiful’. These repetitions serve slightly different purposes: the first emphasizes the speaker’s gentle amusement as she recounts the myriad ways she has inadvertently shortened her life through indulgent choices.
The repetition of ‘beautiful’ in the ending lines, however, conveys a more ambiguous tone. Does this repetition lend a sense of finality and certainty to the poem’s conclusion, or does it reveal the speaker’s underlying doubts about the message she is ‘selling’ to her children? This duality creates a tension between a persuasive rhetorical flourish (the world could indeed be beautiful) and a hint of hesitation (the world could be beautiful, but will it truly become so?).
In favor of the latter interpretation, one might consider the suggestive colloquial ‘right?’ that precedes the pause in the poem’s final line. This phrase resembles the kind of prompt a realtor might use to encourage agreement from a potential buyer. Yet, this question mark could also signify the speaker’s authentic feelings: while the world has the potential to be beautiful, it may not transform into that ideal anytime soon.