Re-Analysis of "Everything that Acts Is Actual" by Denise Levertov

 Analysis found here:  https://ddcpoetry.blogspot.com/2013/02/analysis-of-that-acts-is-actual-by.html

I'm using ChatGPT to help me with this Re-Analysis.  I asked for Denise Levertov's bio and famous poem and this poem wasn't on the list.  This part of her bio caught my interest:

Levertov's poetry is known for its strong political and social themes, as well as its focus on the natural world and spirituality. She was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War and participated in numerous anti-war protests and demonstrations. In addition to her poetry, Levertov also wrote essays and edited several anthologies, including "The Stream and the Sapphire: Selected Poems on Religious Themes" (1997).

When I reread this poem, I'm just so astonished by the techniques this poem does.  From the initial anaphora, the break in the form that leads to these lines, "can you pull me // into December?" as my attention becomes pulled into the next stanza.

I don't know what each line means, but I get a sense of loneliness which keeps repeating itself as a cycle and various versions of the moon: "flawed moon," and "black moon."

There's something about this poem that reminds me of Tang Dynasty poems.  

I missed this line upon the first read "What the / imagination / seizes / as beauty must be truth."  This line is something that Keats wrote.  Chat GPT wrote this about the line: 

The letter in which John Keats wrote the famous quote "Whatever the imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth - whether it existed before or not" was addressed to his friend Benjamin Bailey on 22 November 1817. In the letter, Keats discusses a range of topics, including his thoughts on poetry, philosophy, and the nature of truth and beauty.

Keats expresses his belief that the world of imagination and the world of reality are closely intertwined, and that the poet has the ability to bridge the gap between the two. He argues that poetry is not simply a reflection of reality, but rather a means of shaping and transforming it through the power of the imagination.

Keats goes on to discuss his views on truth and beauty, asserting that anything that the imagination seizes upon as beautiful must be considered truth, regardless of whether it existed before or not. He suggests that truth is not simply a matter of objective fact, but rather a subjective experience that is shaped by the individual's perception and imagination.

Overall, the letter provides a fascinating insight into Keats' philosophy of poetry and his views on the relationship between truth, beauty, and the imagination.

With this in mind the last line has an intimate power to it, "What holds you / to what you see of me is / that grasp alone."  So what someone sees in a person is the imagination and beauty  as well as the truth -- that is the "grasp" and attraction is all that is needed.