Two Photographs

'Two Photographs' by Dannie Abse is a poem which explores the passing of time and how it erodes memory. It investigates themes of old-age, identity, time and memory, and Abse touches on how the past remains (or does not remain) in the present. Two photographs of Abse's grandmothers, Doris and Annabella, are used to stimulate the content of the poem.
     A description of each grandmother is presented in the first stanza. Annabella appears as 'slim', 'vulnerable' and 'Pretty', contrasting completeley with Doris who is 'portly', formidable' and 'handsome'. The reader sees straight away that the two women are opposites, possibly explaining Abse's later statement that he 'do[es] not think they liked each other.' This contrast is also highlighted through how the two invidividuals dress; 'Annabella wears a demure black frock with an amber / brooch' whereas Doris is dressed in 'a lacy black gown with a string of pearls.' This description presents Annabella as reserved and modest, possibly shy, whereas the 'lace' of Doris' dress holds connotations of seduction. The fact that our image of each grandmother is built up purely on appearance could portray the persona's disintegrating memory and how he can only conjure up a memory of his relatives based on the photographs before him.
     The separation of the first and second stanza seems odd, as the opening line of the second stanza is carrying on directly from the final line of the first. This could be a depiction of the division between the two women, emphasising the distance between them having any similarities. Abse goes on to state the location and date of ech photograph; each was taken in Wales, one in 'Ystalyfera' and the other in 'Bridgend' - we are not enlightened as to which grandmother lives where, further suggesting a lack of memory concerning details of the ladies. The final line of the second stanza again focuses on the dissimilarity of the grandmothers by making a reference to the familiar saying 'chalk and cheese': 'Both were told to say, 'Cheese'; one, defiant, said 'Chalk!'' Again we are not told which woman was 'defiant', and Abse leaves it up to the reader's individual judgement. Based on the descriptions previously given I am swayed to thinking that it was Doris who 'said 'Chalk!'' due to her appearing slightly more 'out-there' and Annabella being reserved and 'vulnerable'. However, this presents the question of whether personality matches appearance - it could be argued that Abse did not suggest who made this outburst to prompt the reader to consider this, and also to portray his lack of rememberance.
     The third stanza shows yet more contrasts between the two women, this time focusing on their characteristics and personality traits instead of appearance. Doris 'Ate pork!' - the shock depicted through the exclamation mark is due to followers of the Jewish faith being forbidden to eat pork as it was seen as 'unclean meat'. Dannie Abse was Jewish, as was his parents, and so his grandmother Doris most probably was too; this presents her as slightly rebellious and not willing to conform. Abse tells of how Annabella 'told Doris she was damned / indecorous', suggesting that she did not agree with her 'improper' ways and supporting Abse's opinion that they did not like each other.
     A sense of rivalry and competition between the grandmothers is depicted in the fourth stanza as the persona recalls a dream he had which presented the two women standing 'back to back, / not for the commencement of a duel / but to see who was taller!' From this moment onwards the tone of the poem appears to shift from being fairly light-hearted to sad and depressing. A stereotypical image of 'grandmothers' is created through Abse's description of 'buns of grey hair, of withered rose', and he tells of how this semblance now seems 'illusory, fugitive', as if his memory of the two ladies is dissolving rapidly and he cannot stop it. '(sieved through leaky curtains) / and disappears when and where that sunbeam goes' - these two lines appear to suggest how memories can disappear without warning, how the disintegration of recollection is unpredicatable and cannot be controlled. The words 'sieved' and 'leaky' could suggest time filtering the persona's memories and, as details get lost along the way, eventually it is only the 'two photographs' which can remind him of his grandmothers.
     The final stanza gives a depressing perception of death, and it could be argued that by questioning 'Of two old ladies once uxoriously loved, / what's survived?', Abse is suggesting that once you die you no longer make an impression on the people that once loved you, and eventually everyone gets forgotten. This view is pessimistic and sad, especially because the two sentimental photographs (the only remains of the women) show only the surface and present no depth concerning their personalities. In the final two lines it appears the persona is accepting the idea that the same thing will eventually happen to him too, with his 'children' and his 'children's grandchildren' forgetting about him as time passes until eventually it seems as if he 'never lived.'
     It could be argued that the irregular rhyme scheme echos the irregularity of memory and how the course of time can create an uneven rhythm of memory and recollection. The structure of the poem is also irregular - there is a different amount of lines in each stanza - and this gives it a strange appearance, looking unlike standard poems. This could possibly be a portrayal of the decievement of appearance and photography.