Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem "Starting From San Francisco" explores the vastness of the American landscape and reflects on the historical journey of the nation. By recounting his own journey across the continent by train, Ferlinghetti creates a rich tapestry of imagery, blending nostalgia, humor, and a touch of melancholy to evoke the past and present of America.

The poem opens with Ferlinghetti describing himself as "crossing the country in coach trains (back to my old lone wandering)." This nostalgic reference to his "old lone wandering" sets the stage for a journey that revisits the expansive American landscape. He describes traveling "All night Eastward," crossing the "Great Divide," and entering "Utah / over Great Salt Plain and onward, rocking." The rhythmic motion of the train is reflected in the poem’s cadence, creating a sense of movement and continuity.

Ferlinghetti then introduces "the white dawn burst across mesas, table-lands, / all flat, all laid away." The imagery of dawn breaking over the flat, open terrain evokes a sense of serenity and awe at the natural beauty of the American West. The "Great glary sun" and "wood bridge over water" add to the picturesque scene.

The journey continues "Later in still light," as the train moves "Onward? / Back and forth, across the Continent, bang bang / by any wheel or horse, any rail." Ferlinghetti reflects on the history of American exploration and expansion, with "hooves pounding the Great Plains, caravans into the night." The reference to "Forever. / Into Wyoming" captures the timeless and enduring nature of this westward movement.

The poem then describes the train "rocking through it, snow on steppes and plains of November," evoking the harsh beauty of the winter landscape. Ferlinghetti notes that the roads are "lost in it—or never existent—back in the beginning again," suggesting a return to a primordial state before human settlement.

As the train moves through "horizons of mesas," Ferlinghetti draws comparisons to "plains of Spain high up in Don Quixote country," adding a literary layer to the journey. He likens the "sharp eroded towers of bluffs" to "windmills tilted," recalling Don Quixote's battles with windmills. The "Great long rectangular stone islands sticking up on far plains" resemble "immense light cargo ships high on plains of water, becalmed and rudderless," conveying a sense of timeless isolation.

Ferlinghetti then describes a "small halfass town, followed by one telephone wire and one straight single iron road," highlighting the isolation and simplicity of life in these remote areas. The towns are marked by solitary "pumping stations" with "a tank, a car, a small house, a dog, no people anywhere." This sparse imagery emphasizes the loneliness and emptiness of the landscape.

He continues with surreal and humorous observations: "Birds flap from fences, trestles, caw and caw their nothingness. / Stone church sticks up quote Out of Nowhere unquote / This must be Interzone between Heaven and Brooklyn." The phrase "Interzone between Heaven and Brooklyn" humorously captures the liminal quality of the American Midwest, a place that seems to exist between the ethereal and the mundane.

Ferlinghetti reflects on the journey through shifting landscapes and time periods, describing "Cradle we rocked out of—prairie schooners into Pullmans," suggesting a transition from the early days of westward expansion to the modern era. He notes how "bodies nested in them, hurtled through night, inscrutable," creating an image of travelers oblivious to the world outside.

As the poem nears its conclusion, Ferlinghetti writes, "Train hoots at something / in the nowhere we still rock through," emphasizing the mysterious, almost ghostly quality of the journey. He describes "streetlights stoned with loneliness or lit with leftover sun / they drank too much of during the day," adding a touch of melancholy to the scene.

The final image is haunting: "this world shrunk / to one lone brakeman's face stuck out of darkness— / long white forehead / like bleached skull of cow—huge black sad eyes." The brakeman's lantern swinging "high, close up" creates an eerie effect, as his "figure splashed upon it, slanted, muezzin-like, very grave, very tall."

The poem ends with a powerful reflection: "Who stole America? / Myself / saw in the window reflected." Ferlinghetti confronts his own reflection and implicates himself in the question of America’s loss, hinting at the complex interplay between personal identity and national history.

In "Starting From San Francisco," Ferlinghetti captures the vastness of the American landscape and the passage of time with a mix of nostalgia, humor, and existential contemplation. The poem invites readers to consider the history of the nation and their place within it while celebrating the enduring beauty and mystery of the land.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...