The Past Keeps Changing: Poems

by Chana Bloch

Genres: Poetry

85 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Chana Bloch was an American poet, translator, and scholar. She was a professor emerita of English at Mills College in Oakland, California.

Reviews

[Luis Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriage is said to last “until death” separates a husband and his wife. Many romanticize the idea of a fairy tale marriage. Perhaps marriage is not like those in a fairy tale. Chana Bloch’s “Tired Sex” is a very short poem with many possible interpretations. It leads the reader to visualize the mundane act of sex in marriage. It also alludes to the boredom of marriage and the social or religious views of the importance of remaining married. “Tired Sex” brings to light how the speaker’s emotions in his or her marriage.
Although the poem is very short, only 10 lines long, it uses very powerful images to convey what the speaker is feeling and the message he or she is attempting to communicate. The use of “we” and the description of the difficulty of striking a match from a damp matchbook clearly stands out. Boredom, looking out a window, the description of a cat and a sparrow batting around, and a teacher telling her student that “Its great literature” are equally as powerful.
Throughout a person’s life he or she will change emotionally and physically. The days of hormone and ideal driven youth gives way to a life of routine. While many people feel comfortable with the predictability of a “routine” life, others yearn for the excitement they felt in their youth. This is what the speaker is conveying. Married for an extended period of time, Bloch bring to light the feelings that a spouse feels as sexual acts become mundane. In the poem, the speaker mentions the difficulty of lighting a match from a matchbook that had been under a woodpile for an entire winter. The struggle of lighting a damp match would be as equally difficult as relighting passion in one’s long marriage. The speaker yawns and looks out the window and is somewhat more entertained by a sparrow and cat than being with his or her sexual partner. A teacher telling her student about what is good, depicts a person of authority telling the speaker what is right and wrong. The teacher can be viewed as a symbol of society or religion and how it frowns at the thought of divorce.
Bloch’s short poem questions the pleasure that one gets from martial sex and whether or not it is worth to maintain a sexual routine for the sake of marriage. It questions the idea of society or religion stressing the importance of marriage even though it is no longer exciting. This poem appears to be a “venting” moment in the speaker’s life who is disturbed by the lack of passion in his or her life.

[Suzette Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Poem “Tired Sex” Chana Bloch writes this maybe from a mans point of view. It touched me because this is a realistic situation, and can represent different situations that are not uncommon in every day life. When she writes “Trying to strike a match in a matchbook
that has lain all winter under the woodpile:” Lack of sex drive,lack of love in the marriage, cant seem to rekindle, and it may represent two people falling out of love after time. She was trying to express two lovers trying to make love and they can’t seem to create a spark, there was no fire, no connection. trying to light a match on a box that has been wet, it does not create a flame. In the beginning of the poem there seems to be no sexual connection, no sexual desire. As they were having sex and realizing there was little to no sexual connection, everything seems to catch attention, the cat by the window, yawning. It seemed to be not only tired sex, but boring sex.
the last phrase, Like turning the pages of a book the teacher assigned --
You ought to read it, she said.
It's great literature.
we have all experienced this, Your teacher telling you to do something and yet you have no interest whatsoever, the writer is comparing an unexciting situation to another.
she was trying to express boredom,not just tired sex, but terrible sex with NO passion. If while you are having sex, you’re thinking about your teacher or any other subject rather than focusing on sex then you are really having issues,feeling of disconnection. But the writer Chana Blanc is really expressing real life situations, and emotions. People do get bored,people do fall apart, there are unhappy marriages, and sex plays a huge factor in marriage. If the Sex is bad, or lack there of, then the marriage cant be good. these are emotions that people do feel, whether its something fun, meaningful or just some that lacks interest.

[Scarlett Prazaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short poem, “Tired Sex” by Chana Bloch gives us metaphorical interpretations of what almost seems to be a joyless marriage. I assume it’s a marriage because the author was married twice. Also because it sounds like they search for an escape. It does not state whether the narrator is a man or women. I’d like to think it’s a women. Women were always told to hide their feelings when it came to being passionate or sexual even if it was with their husband or not. The imagery given to this poem is very strong, some like “watching the sparrow the cat is batting around.” This for me conveys someone paying attention to nonsense little things around them rather than paying attention to the one they are with. Other phrases like “I catch myself Yawning”; Yawning has a direct understanding of being tired. “Like turning the pages of a book the teacher assigned-“ If you are just turning pages without and reason to be intrigued but only because you have too. Sounds like she would almost be trapped in her marriage. The last two lines give off what society would want for her. “You ought to read it, she said. It’s great literature.” This for me is how society told women, “Go on get married, you’re getting old.” or maybe “Get married, he has a good job, and will provide status.” The example given with the teacher saying you SHOULD read it; relates to society telling women what to do. Bloch was born in the 1940s in that time it wasn't a surprise women were getting married because the man had a good job or their families told them too. The poem conveys to what is a dull marriage, there is no use in trying because there is no fire between them. Try and try to make a fire with a match book that is wet and has been left out all winter. Of course they’ll be no fire. With that example about not being able to start the fire, it was clear there was no passion. I see fire representing passion or that spark between two people in love.
There is a message behind this poem. Though, there is only about ten lines, it is very clear and powerful. We should not get married, if it sounds like a boring job or boring routine. A marriage should be with someone that gives you happiness and someone you rather be with doing anything; rather than going through a book you are being forced to read. Marry them only because you’re in love. If you are with someone for any other reason that is not love, then you will not be happy.

[Rosie Castillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tired Sex


By Chana Bloch


In this short poem, "Tired Sex" the author talks about a women or men it does not say but it states on how sex has become boring and there is no longer desire for it. It simply has lost the spark in it. I would imagine that if you no longer have that desire to be together in bed, wouldn't it be better off to get separated. We can read that it is about a marriage because it does mention it in the poem. I believe that either him or she no longer have the passionate and spark they once had when they got married. I can assume that there sex life became so boring and tired and there is no excitement. And eventually someone got tired and bored. In the short poem the author compares there sex with many nature things in life giving us ideas on they felt. It says," trying to strike a match in a matchbook, that has lain all winter under the woodpiles" meaning that there not able to find a way to have sex it might be that it's difficult for them to find it pleasure again. The author also mentions on how, "I catch myself yawning" which makes me think that it must be very boring. That all she or he can think about is going to sleep. During, the moment of sexual encounter it's an moment of desire, pleasure and enjoying it. It makes us believe also that there is no interest of having that desire moment. It might be also that her or his sex life has had no surprises in it. It also compares it to, "turning the pages of a book that a teacher assigned because it is supposed to be great literature." I find it that sex life has become an obligation and task and nothing else. She or he are no longer feeling this satisfaction of desire in there life.


In this short poem, the author has given so much details in such short lines. But, it does gives us an idea on how both are feeling in this situation. There sex life is no longer what they have expect. It has become dull and boring. In my opinion, I would say that if you are in a marriage and sex is no longer a desire. It will be best to find a solution or a way out. I do find this poem interesting, even though it was short. But, it does give a lot to think about. If we choose to get married let it be because we are going to happy .

[Shanda Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the poem "Tired Sex" Chana Bloch to me is conveying a powerful message of boredom in a women's sex life with her husband. The poem is quite short so the author opens with a poignant line of trying to strike a match that has laid in winter under a damp woodpile. When I read this my immediate thought was there was not a fire between this women and the man she is married to no passion. Then she goes on to say she catches herself yawning. This to me is saying she is going through the motions of the act of sex but there is not a sexual desire or wanting of her husband. She is performing the act of sex, like a chore. In the last lines of the poem the author says "Like turning the pages of a book the teacher assigned- You ought to read she said It's great literature." This reminds me of when I am curled up on my couch reading from page to page and turning the pages how monotonous that can be. Repeating of flipping the page over and over again. This I think is how this woman felt about her sex life. Chana Bloch I feel is trying to bring to light the reality that in relationships a flame can go out the spark is no longer there. I was disappointed because your mind is left to wonder was this women able to rekindle the spark? Did she stay in this mundane relationship? I do like the idea of reading this poem and using it to help your own relationships. I would hope anyone in a marriage or a relationship would work on it before it got to the point of this poem. In today's society though the truth is we don't divorce is at the highest it as ever been and more people are miserable and stay in marriages for financial and the sake of the children. Upon reading this poem I would just hope that we could be a little selfish and take care of ourselves emotionally, physically and sexually for you are truly not happy if you don't take care of all aspects of your life.

[Victoria Leal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the poem “Tired Sex” By Chana Bloch, she is talking about how her and her partner trying to fire things up and “strike a match” that has been needed to light up all winter. Although during the poem she describes it to be boring and how other things are catching her eye during sex. For instance she says “I catch myself yawing. Through the window I watch that sparrow the cat keeps batting around.” She is basically saying that the sex she is having is just a total bore.

When I first read this poem I thought it was written from a woman’s point of view. Because the way I see is that what man isn’t excited about sex? And in this poem it is obviously saying how the person experiencing it is just not having any excitement at all, and during sex their mind starts to wonder off to different situations going on. Also from the beginning of the poem it says “We’re trying to strike a match in the matchbook that has lain all winter under the woodpile,” after reading that I take it that their relationship isn’t going so good so they are trying to make it work and they think by making love it would help their situation. Though little did the writer know that it was just going to bore her and just make her tired of it.

This is not an uncommon problem in marriages. It happens and it is inevitable unfortunately because some people just basically fall out of love and it does happen and I believe in this poem that is what she is explaining. Why do something or be in something that you don’t have your heart in? The way I see is if you are not giving it your all effort then let it go, and in this poem there is no hiding the fact that sex for her is just dull.