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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
The opening lines of the poem introduce a sense of personal accountability and introspection: "She wasn’t having one of her strange headaches tonight. / Whose fault is it?" This rhetorical question, coupled with the reflection on blame and responsibility, sets the stage for a meditation on the complexities of relationships and the self-imposed burdens of guilt and self-doubt. The speaker's initial inclination to blame themselves for "every minor variation in the major upheaval" suggests a deep engagement with the intricacies of human emotion and the tendency to internalize external circumstances. As the poem progresses, Ashbery shifts the focus from the personal to the natural world, with the "grass praying / for renewal" serving as a poignant metaphor for the cyclical nature of life and death. This imagery, evocative of sacrifice and regeneration, introduces a theme of transcendence and transformation. The mention of "a white light hovered just above the lake’s layer / like a photograph of ectoplasm" further blurs the line between the physical and the spiritual, questioning the authenticity of perceived phenomena and the possibility of otherworldly intervention. The poem then delves into the surreal, with scenes that challenge the reader's sense of reality: "In slow-moving traffic a man acts like he’s going to be hit / by the stream of cars coming at him from both directions." This moment of suspended danger and the subsequent image of a "cookie cutter" steamroller flattening the view evoke a sense of disorientation and the distortion of perspective, highlighting the fragility of our grasp on reality. Ashbery introduces a motif of repetition and multiplicity with "nine sisters, nine deafening knocks on the door, / nine busboys to be bussed—er, tipped." This repetition amplifies the dreamlike quality of the poem, where symbols and figures recur in a seemingly endless loop, each iteration imbuing the narrative with deeper layers of meaning. The crystal square, described as "the only imaginary thing we were meant to have," symbolizes the purity of dreams and aspirations, now tarnished and buried beneath the weight of disillusionment and the passage of time. This imagery of a "frayed shirt collar / a mother stitches for her son" further emphasizes themes of care, loss, and the inevitable transformation of relationships over time. The poem concludes on a note of tentative optimism, with the mixing of drinks "like lemonade" after a twister—a metaphor for finding moments of sweetness and connection amidst the chaos of life. The final lines, "Who knows what the world’s got up its sleeve / next brunch, as long as you will be a part of me and / all that I am doing?" reflect a longing for continuity and shared experience, underscoring the human desire for companionship and understanding in an unpredictable world. "Waltz Dream" is a complex and evocative poem that invites readers to contemplate the intersections between the internal landscapes of the mind and the external realities of the world. Ashbery's masterful use of imagery, metaphor, and narrative ambiguity challenges conventional interpretations, encouraging a deeper engagement with the poem's thematic richness and emotional depth. Through its exploration of memory, identity, and the ephemeral nature of existence, "Waltz Dream" captures the essence of the human condition, marked by moments of connection, reflection, and the perpetual search for meaning. POEM TEXT: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1993/09/23/a-waltz-dream/
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CHAMBER MUSIC: 20 by JAMES JOYCE THE EXECUTIVE by DAVID IGNATOW SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 4 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING EVENING by GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE TO SIR GODFREY KNELLER by JOHN DRYDEN TO MR. GAY, WHO WROTE HIM A CONGRATULATORY LETTER ON FINISHING HOUSE by ALEXANDER POPE NIOBE: THE GODS' CHILDREN by AESCHYLUS IN AN ALBUM by JOHANNA AMBROSIUS |
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