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| (imagine this, without a hat or a shirt, running past you on a trail) |
Naked is almost me.
Swedish (i.e., hairless),
Underwearless,
Skipping careless
Across the sidewalk. See?
That little boy does, too.
He's toddling toward me
And his matronly ward – she
Must think I'm lordly –
Grabs him and squeaks “How do.”
Do I make you feel off?
I don't for the man who's
Walking in God's shoes –
All callous and bone-bruise:
He smiles at my bare feet aloft.
Do I look like a danger?
Not so to the wild ones
Biking these canyons:
Dust cloud D'artagnans
By a soft-treading stranger.
Do you even see me
Bounding by your left wing,
Dodging its arm swing?
You gasp, then we flam-sing:
“GOD!” “Pardon!” Two laughs – let free.
The first line of the poem hints that it is not going to have a traditional message, as it uses reverse syntax. Other portions of the poem also deviate from standard procedure (which is what makes this poetry and not prose, but this poem deviates even from other poems), such as the parenthetical definition of what is meant by Swedish. Most poems would leave themselves up to interpretation, but this one clearly states what is meant to be conveyed by the word Swedish; however, if the only important aspect of this description was the hairlessness, that would have been the original word written. The phrasing simultaneously causes the word Swedish to be defined as having the meaning of hairless, but hinting that there are other characteristics implied that are left to interpretation. The first stanza uses the alliteration of the “s” sound, and this causes the words to slide together with a hiss. The rhetorical question at the end of the first stanza connects the reader to the child at the start of the second. The boy is held back by his “matronly ward”, which I find to be a humorous description of a mother or nanny. The second stanza shows the innocent nature of the boy, for he does not shy away from something that looks different, and also portrays the curious nature of children. This curiosity and innocence is quickly checked by his guardian, contrasting the boy’s behavior with the behavior of an adult, which can be extrapolated to the behavior of the majority of society. The final three stanzas of the poem show exceptions to the standard behavior of the mother (society) by describing various people that are not threatened by different-looking people. Finally, the poem ends when the speaker bumps into another runner and they laugh together. A few things I didn’t understand: What does flam-sing mean? I know who d’Artagnan is, but how does he connect to the dust clouds?
ReplyDeletethe "wild ones biking these canyons" are boys on bicycles -- fearless adventurers, dust-cloud d'Artagnans.
DeleteFlam (noun) -- "a drumbeat consisting of two notes in quick succession, with the accent on the second." (dictionary.com)
...God!............
.....Pardon! .........