Blue Ridge
Up there on the mountain road, the fireworks
blistered and subsided, for once at eye level:
spatter of light like water flicked from the fingers;
the brief emergent pattern; and after the afterimage bled
from the night sky, a delayed and muffled thud
that must have seemed enormous down below,
the sound concomitant with the arranged
threat of fire above the bleachers.
I stood as tall and straight as possible,
trying to compensate, trying not to lean in my friend’s
direction. Beside me, correcting height, he slouched
his shoulders, knees locked, one leg stuck out
to form a defensive angle with the other.
Thus we were most approximate
and most removed.In the long pauses
between explosions, he’d signal conversation
by nodding vaguely toward the ragged pines.
I said my children would have loved the show.
He said we were watching youth at a great distance,
and I thought how the young
are truly boring, unvaried as they are
by the deep scar of doubt, the constant afterimage
of regret—no major tension in their bodies, no tender
hesitation, they don’t yet know
that this is so much work, scraping
from the self its multiple desires; don’t yet know
fatigue with self, the hunger for obliteration
that wakes us in the night at the dead hour
and fuels good sex.Of course I didn’t say it.
I realized he watched the fireworks
with the cool attention he had turned on women
dancing in the bar, a blunt uninvested gaze
calibrating every moving part, thighs,
breasts, the muscles of abandon.
I had wanted that gaze on me.
And as the evening dwindled to its nub,
its puddle of tallow, appetite without object,
as the men peeled off to seek
the least encumbered consolation
and the women grew expansive with regard—
how have I managed so long to stand among the paired
bodies, the raw pulsing music driving
loneliness into the air like scent,
and not be seized by longing,
not give anything to be summoned
into the larger soul two souls can make?
Watching the fireworks with my friend,
so little ease between us,
I see that I have armed myself;
fire changes everything it touches.Perhaps he has foreseen this impediment.
Perhaps when he holds himself within himself,
a sheathed angular figure at my shoulder,
he means to be protective less of him
than me, keeping his complicating rage
inside his body. And what would it solve
if he took one hand from his pocket,
risking touch, risking invitation—
if he took my hand it would not alter
this explicit sadness.The evening stalls,
the fireworks grow boring at this remove.
The traffic prowling the highway at our backs,
the couples, the families scuffling on the bank
must think us strangers to each other. Or,
more likely, with the celebrated fireworks thrusting
their brilliant repeating designs above the ridge,
we simply blur into the foreground,
like the fireflies dragging among the trees
their separate, discontinuous lanterns.
What Happens in the Poem?
The poem tells a story about two people standing on a mountain road while fireworks light up the sky. One of them is a woman who feels lonely and wants someone to share her life with. The other person, a friend or maybe a boyfriend, watches the fireworks but also looks at women dancing in a bar. The woman thinks that the young people watching the fireworks are carefree and not worried about responsibilities. She feels that she has already tried to be close to the friend, but they stay far apart.
Why Does the Poem Feel Like This?
- Imagery: The poet uses bright images of fireworks, water, and light to show how the sky looks. These pictures help us feel the excitement of the moment.
- Contrast: The poem shows a big difference between the carefree young people and the woman who has already lived many years. This contrast makes her feel lonely.
- Tone: At first, the tone is lively because of the fireworks. Later it becomes sad when the woman thinks about her own life and how she cannot find someone to share it with.
How Does Each Part Help the Whole?
- First stanza: The opening lines describe the fireworks and set a bright, energetic scene. They also show that the two people are standing close but not touching each other.
- Second stanza: Here the woman talks about her children and the young people watching the fireworks. She compares their carefree lives to her own, which makes her feel lonely.
- Third stanza: The poet shows how the friend looks at women dancing in a bar. This gives us an idea of what the friend is thinking and why he does not look at the woman.
- Fourth stanza: The woman thinks about her own feelings, how she wants someone to hold her hand but knows that it will not change her sadness.
- Fifth stanza: The poem ends with a comparison of the two people to fireflies. This shows that they are separate and moving in their own ways, like little lights in the dark.
What Can We Learn From This Poem?
The poem reminds us that even when we see bright fireworks or exciting moments, we can still feel lonely if we do not have someone to share them with. It also shows how people may look at others in a way that makes them feel invisible. The poet uses simple language and vivid images so that readers of all ages can understand the feelings behind the words.