i would love people's ideas and opinons on stephen dunn's "each from different heights" poem.

Question

Each From Different Heights

That time I thought I was in love
and calmly said so
was not so much different from the time
I was truly in love
and slept poorly and spoke out loud
to the wall
and discovered the hidden genius
of my hands.
And the times I felt less in love,
less than someone,
were, to be honest, not so different
either.
Each was ridiculous in its own way
and each was tender, yes,
sometimes even the false is tender.
I am astounded
by the various kisses we're capable of.
Each from different heights
diminished, which is simply the law.
And the big bruise
from the longer fall looked perfectly white
in a few years.
That astounded me most of all.

Answer 1

Romantic love is about your feelings towards the one you are "in love with." It is not something objectively measured or quantified intellectually.

In other words, the strongest feelings I've ever had for a girl was the first time I had a crush on "Suzy Q" in the 5th grade until I got over her and really fell for "Rosy R" a week later. And on, and on, and on, ad-infinitum.

Answer 2

To me this poem is about wondering how we can go on pretending that we love because it is better than no love at all. That we mourn for true love and that the more we fake it the more we lose our chance at real love. We are willing to sacrifice waiting for real love to be impulsive and accept the next best thing. The ending is about how we get over these imagined loves eventually. I do believe in true love and that there is only one and that you are damn lucky if you ever find it. In the mean time I continue to do the same as the author. And I too feel ridiculous about it.

Answer 3

I think very literally states that all sincere endeavors in Love hurt, feel good and in the end have a somewhat similar effect on us. Time heals all.