Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Film Noir (The Chase)" by Kevin Young is a poem that plunges the reader into the dark, suspenseful world of noir fiction and cinema. In a carefully-crafted narrative replete with mood and mystery, Young employs noir conventions and language to explore themes of obsession, illusion, and the inevitable consequences of human desire. The poem is stylistically compelling and remarkably in tune with the genre it seeks to encapsulate, serving both as homage and a critique.

From the onset, the speaker doesn't "have a rat's chance," signaling not just the high stakes but also the doomed trajectory. When the mysterious woman walks in, "violins began," evoking the rich auditory atmosphere of noir films where musical cues guide emotional responses. The jarring sound of "typewriters jabber" stands in contrast, symbolizing the business, the gritty reality behind the romantic allure.

Young's portrayal of the woman-"Shadows & smiles, she was"-is strikingly concise, capturing the quintessential femme fatale. Her presence is described in ways that make her simultaneously irresistible and menacing: "Strong scent of before-rain / Her pinstripe two-lane / legs, her blackmail menthol." Here, the natural phenomenon of 'before-rain' juxtaposes with the artificial, cultivated allure of "pinstripe" and "menthol," capturing the enigmatic blend of danger and beauty she represents.

The protagonist is immediately ensnared-"Before you could say denouement, I was on her case." The term "denouement," which usually signifies resolution, is ironically invoked here at the beginning of his pursuit. It is a pursuit steeped in the conventions of the genre: "Slant hat, broad / Back, my entrenched coat / Of fog." The "entrenched coat / Of fog" is particularly telling-like the fog, the speaker is engulfed in ambiguity and clouded judgment.

The investigation descends into a world of "Fleabags, / Neon blinds undrawn-"; it's a descent into the underbelly of society, but also into the depths of human emotion and desire. When the protagonist finally finds her, the language turns deeply intimate, almost sensual-"She nursed / him like beer / Till dawn. Doozy." However, the climax reveals not a romantic rendezvous but a stinging betrayal: "I took two to the chest."

Young leaves us with an image both poignant and tragic: "Was all / rain, her blurring face / Her snuffed, stubbed out / lipstuck cigarette." It captures the utter dissolution of illusion, the finality of a quest that was doomed from the start. It's a face "blurring" into nothingness, an extinguished cigarette marking the end.

The poem serves as a meditation on the dangers of illusion, the costs of a reality mediated by genre conventions and wishful thinking. Like the best of film noir, it exposes the darker sides of human nature, where desire and doom are two sides of the same coin. In doing so, Kevin Young's "Film Noir (The Chase)" not only honors the genre but also expands upon it, asking readers to consider the blurred lines between perception and reality, and the intricate ways in which narrative shapes experience.

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