Levertov: The Third Dimension

I found this one to be an odd poem. Some of the language was different and it threw me off a bit. Overall, I think I interpreted this poem was about a woman changing herself for a man that she is interested in, in hopes that he would reciprocate the feelings she had for him.

Lines 1-4
I interpreted these lines as the speaker saying that the qualities in the man that she is interested in were what was "spliting" her open from scalp to crotch. As in they were starting to destroy who she was originally.

Lines 5-8
Although the speaker is in the midst of this internal crisis, she still sees the world as it goes about normally.

Lines 9-12
"Honesty isn't so simple: a simple honesty is nothing but a lie."
This is the speaker, again, referring to her inner turmoil. Honesty isn't so simple--the speaker is trying to be honest with herself about who she truely is, but to her it is not that simple. She wants to be what the fixation of her eye wants. A simple honesty is nothing but a lie--the speaker knows that regardless of what she does, whether that is to stay true to herself or to become what he is looking for, she will not be happy.

Lines 13-17
These lines are referring to the woman hiding who she truly is from the man that she is interested in.

Lines 18-21
While even though the woman thinks that she's being honest in who she is becoming, she is ultimately lying to herself. A lie is a lie is a lie.

Lines 22-25
Despite her being suseptable to this common fate (individuals changing themselves to be what their heart's desire wants) she is still living and will thrive long after this phase passes. Even though this predicament seemed to crash her world, she'll be okay in the end.

Lines 26-30
The speaker is starting to move from this situation back into the 'real' world.

Lines 31-34
She is starting to 'change pace'. I interpreted this as she is starting to move on.

This is quite a relevant topic, especially for my age group and happens more times than many people think. Overall, I could relate, somewhat to this poem.