It was midnight. ...
No, that's a lie; the time was two.
It had been midnight
two hours ago.
Now that is true.
I was in the kitchen. ...
Well, I was looking through the hall
at the metal refrigerator
reflecting on the kitchen wall
like a spotlight in the darkness (
Well, in the dim-lit corner space
that I seldom ever bothered with.Such a dull and empty place. …
But then, it was exciting –
with that light,
and a little move
where the fan flipped air
at the chandelier,
making light beams
jitter, too).
So I stood up,
and I stepped
in close.
Then I stopped;
my eyes
couldn't see
the dancing light.
So I stepped
back again,
and it rolled
right off
of
me.
The speaker reflects on a single moment with intense scrutiny. He constantly modifies the retelling, correcting himself as he goes. This makes the poem extend to a length that belies how brief the actual moment is. The moment itself is a ephemeral fixation on the way the light flashes off of the refrigerator late at night. The title kind of contextualizes the way the speaker is characterized, as a micromanager would have the precise perfectionist tendencies that would force him to correct himself at every step of the poem. It feels like a thoughtful thing to record, this little moment where the speaker sees the light bouncing and moves closer, only to realize that there’s only one angle that he can see it from.
ReplyDelete*His realization is more specific (and for him, profound) than that: he can only see the light when he gets out of the way.
DeleteThis is an analog for the way he approaches all the things in his life, this moment included: if he would only get out of the way, he would start seeing more and more of that magic in the moments around him.
( Thus, the title--> REFORM of a micromanager :). )
The speaker micromanages his own story in pursuit of true retelling of events. He endlessly retracts and elaborates on his statements, makes many digressions and asides that are highlighted by the “aside” spacing of the words.
ReplyDeleteSmall, almost annoying movements from the room, like “the fan flipped air/at the chandelier,/making light beams jitter, too)” strike the speaker as exciting and worth noticing, but the smallness of these actions makes them very vulnerable to over-management and subsequent death. He realizes that stepping in so close that he cannot see “the dancing light” limits his perspective and enjoyment of the world. The speaker can cure his micromanagement by becoming invested in something that by its very nature cannot be micromanaged if it is to survive. The manager must set aside his own aspirations and sense of how the world should be to accept the small things as they are—step aside, and the world can breathe, and when it can breathe, it can create beauty.
Was it intentional to have the poem play on a euphemism for understanding ("seeing the light") by having a literal bit of light spark the speaker's realization?
DeleteI love this poem a lot because it reminds me that humans are such simple creatures at moments. We all live in a complex and confounding world in which we all experience ranges of emotions and commit acts that complicate life even further. This poem was refreshing to read because it reminded me of the simplicity of being a person. The beauty of a human being lies in the fact that despite leading such complicated lives in a difficult and corrupt society, we can each pinpoint something so plain and elementary that gives us happiness, a laugh, excitement, and more. From this notion, I believe that humans are innately simple beings that are entertained by the simplest things sometimes. The speaker, awake at two in the morning, is excited and entertained by something effortless and meaningless. The light and the “light beams jitter” from the chandelier is such a minute detail and would usually have zero impact on someone's life. However, I think there is something so beautiful and fortifying about fixating on smaller characteristics of a person’s day to day life. I do this sometimes because I think getting caught up in just the bigger events and happenings of life is no way to lead a happy life. I believe if someone really wants to appreciate life, they must consider and cherish the simple aspects of life as much as they think about the large, more defining moments in life. Maybe this is a method of romanticizing your existence, but sometimes hyper focusing on small details can add more meaning and value to existing.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite poems on here ~ it seems a lot of the ones I like most, are the quiet ones that get only occasional attention (probably because they whisper, rather than shout, their ideas and values). ... I'm glad you found it & liked it :)
Delete- a fellow lover of little things