Interpretation of "Newlyweds"

The poem "Newlyweds" by Malcolm Glass explores a particular day containing
hurt, love and tragedy.  Glass tells the story of a couple who have an argument.  The husband leaves for work without apologizing for the hurt he has caused.  Unfortunately he never makes it back home to let his wife know how sorry he is.  This poem seeks to impress upon readers the idea of never leaving a loved one hurt, never letting anger get in the way of true feelings.  Glass's use of diction, figurative language and an emphatic simile demonstrate this message clearly.

Glass's use of diction highlights the shocking surprises the poem brings. For example, the most shocking obviously is the poem's final words: "And in minutes, the call."  The "call" here refers to the phone call that will inform the wife of her husband's death.  The reader is surprised because all through the poem the reader, like the wife and husband, has expected a reconciliation.  However, this reconciliation now will not happen.  The word "call" rhymes with "shall" in the previous line, and one wonders what word would have ended the poem had Glass chosen to break the next to last line
with the word "he" or "strike."  The ending would have been different.  Also, Glass shocks us in line nine when he uses the phrase "his last words."  At this point in the poem, the husband is remembering “his last words” to his wife, the hurt they did, for which he now feels remorse. Unfortunately, in this ironic twist, "his last words" turn out to be his “final words” spoken to his wife. 

Glass effectively uses figurative language to show the differing attitudes the wife and husband have while anticipating their reunion.  For example, in line two Glass describes the wife as watching "the thin/smoke rise from burning trash."  Here she obviously sees literal smoke, but perhaps Glass also intends that she is watching her anger and hurt float away from that pile of hurtful words her husband spoke to her earlier in the morning.  In lines eleven through thirteen, Glass refers back to this image saying that those “curses now seem no more than ash/and smoke...in the trash drum, smoldering, forgotten."  The "trash" is what the husband created as he spoke those angry words to his wife.  Now he no longer intends the hurt.  However, the words have been spoken and the effect of them will continue to smolder.  The imagery that Glass employs in this poem not only gives it more meaning, but also it gives the reader more than one way to interpret certain thoughts.

Glass effectively uses a simile in lines five through seven to compare “[t]he day" to an "early fog."  This "fog" could have a disheartening meaning for the wife and a regretful meaning for the husband.  Glass states, "The day/has settled in like early fog that stays/too long in muted greens along the ridge."  For the wife, those hurtful words have "settled in."  She knows that like every fog, the hurt of those words will eventually disappear.  Perhaps the "muted greens" represent her affection and love for her husband.  She knows that the feelings of love will always be there, but the words that were spoken to her, the "fog," have dampened the outward showing of her love.  This quote could also be used to describe the spirit of the husband.  He thought he meant what he was saying, but now he regrets hurting the woman that he loves.  The "fog" in his case represents his guilt, for it has "muted" the rest of his day.  Everything that is going on during his day is somehow affected by his undying guilt.  This simile can be interpreted by the reader in more than one way.  One may look at it from the wife's standpoint while another may take it as the husband's position.  Either way it gives an effective way of describing the internal thoughts of the husband and the wife.

"Newlyweds" is a poem of great meaning.  After reading this poem, many readers will consider the reality that one never knows what will happen.  One should never leave another loved one hurt.  The "last words" spoken could be the final words.  Glass's use of diction, figurative language and similes convey this strong message.