The Hiding Place
“The Hiding Place” first appeared in the May 22
issue of The New Yorkerin 1989. The poem is not
one of Graham’s most important or well known
work, perhaps because it marks a departure from
her typical style. Normally, Graham is known for
her oblique lyrics, but “The Hiding Place” is one
of her more narrative, more representational poems.
Like all her other work, this poem is written in free
verse in the first person singular.
A set interpretation of a Graham poem is next
to impossible. The most one can hope for is a gen-
eral impression while reading one of her poems.
The occasion of this work is the famous Paris up-
rising that began in May of 1968. More precisely,
Graham’s memory of events surrounding the stu-
dent demonstrations serves as the genesis of the
poem. Like most postmodern poetry, the text of the
poem wavers between imagination and reality. The
poem might be grounded in a historical event, but
it remains unclear which events actually happened
and which are constructed memories.
A likely theme for “The Hiding Place” is the
marriage of history and memory. Some aspects of
the events are crystal clear, yet some may have never
happened. Another possible reading would suggest
that Graham advocates a kind of cultural revolution,
just as her poems have engendered a sort of poetic
revolution. The insistence not to give in, not to con-
cede, may be a call to contemporary writers and
artists to hold true to a creative vision. The poet
seems to be empathizing with those students and
workers struggling to make the world a better place.
Jorie Graham
1989
Volume 10 151