When you read an article or essay about differences and diversity, it takes a little longer than it takes to read a poem. That makes sense because poems are supposed to be short. As a rule, they use fewer words to say something that other forms of writing might take pages to express.
If you want to use only a few words to say something big, you have to make sure they’re the right words. Notice how precise and carefully chosen the words in this poem are. Read and listen to it again.
A Blur
At first, I thought it might be
like watching a clock face,
smooth and metered, the way
days passed and people lived,
as if set neatly behind glass.
But when I stepped off the bus
the blur of life overtook everything,
and I found myself crash-landing
in a series of day-long flashes,
hitting the lush, mountain grass
running, among people playing out
lives so strange to me: kids flying
into the house next door, where
shopkeepers kept the best selection
of caramelos, past la policia who
leaned against doorframes, all
half-smiles and smirks keeping a
watchful eye, the nurses bustling
in and out of the health post, their
clipboards and coolers of vaccines
for the niños, the señoras sitting
outside our municipal building,
avocados and choclos and
tomatoes and onions spread out
on thick, blue blankets, 20 cents each.
How the tidy picture I’d drawn
in my mind fell to pieces, when the
clock back opened and the gears
tumbled out, when I let go and
leaned in–to the crowd of my
neighbors and the vibrant, wild
life around me–into all the new
electricity of tomorrow.
Nate Zeff
Another effect of using so few words to say what you mean is that all of the words and their meanings get compressed, or mashed together. And that can make the task of understanding a poem’s message a little harder for readers. In fact, most poems need to be read several times to be fully understood.
One great strategy for understanding a poem’s meaning is to look at each stanza, or section, and figure out its overall meaning as well as how it relates to the rest of the poem. Use the questions below to take a close look at each part of “A Blur.” As you focus on each stanza, remember that the “I” in a poem is called the poem’s speaker. (The speaker and the poet are not always the same person.)
A Blur
At first, I thought it might be
like watching a clock face,
smooth and metered, the way
days passed and people lived,
as if set neatly behind glass.
But when I stepped off the bus
the blur of life overtook everything,
and I found myself crash-landing
in a series of day-long flashes,
hitting the lush, mountain grass
running, among people playing out
lives so strange to me: kids flying
into the house next door, where
shopkeepers kept the best selection
of caramelos, past la policia who
leaned against doorframes, all
half-smiles and smirks keeping a
watchful eye, the nurses bustling
in and out of the health post, their
clipboards and coolers of vaccines
for the niños, the señoras sitting
outside our municipal building,
avocados and choclos and
tomatoes and onions spread out
on thick, blue blankets, 20 cents each.
How the tidy picture I’d drawn
in my mind fell to pieces, when the
clock back opened and the gears
tumbled out, when I let go and
leaned in–to the crowd of my
neighbors and the vibrant, wild
life around me–into all the new
electricity of tomorrow.
Nate Zeff
Focus on the poem’s first stanza, which describes what the speaker expects to happen when he arrives in Peru. What does he think “it might be” like in Peru?
- so different that it’s frightening
- busy, loud, and intense
- calm, steady, and perhaps boring
The speaker seems to think living in another culture will be like watching people “set neatly behind glass” like the hands on a clock.
The speaker seems to think living in another culture will be like watching people “set neatly behind glass” like the hands on a clock.
The speaker seems to think living in another culture will be like watching people “set neatly behind glass” like the hands on a clock.
The second stanza describes what actually happens when the speaker arrives at his destination. Which sentence best describes his experience?
- He realizes that life in Peru will, indeed, be boring.
- He becomes part of a very busy, bustling scene.
- He is immediately reminded of his own home town.
As soon as the speaker steps off the bus, he is caught up in the bustle of the town.
As soon as the speaker steps off the bus, he is caught up in the bustle of the town.
As soon as the speaker steps off the bus, he is caught up in the bustle of the town.
The poem’s last stanza connects the ideas in the first and second stanza. How does the speaker’s time in Peru compare to the experience he imagined before he arrived?
- His actual experience is more exciting and unpredictable.
- His actual experience is less rewarding than he thought it would be.
- His actual experience is more challenging and frustrating.
The speaker had drawn a “tidy picture” in his mind, like the neat and organized gears inside a clock. When he arrived, “the gears tumbled out” and the picture “fell to pieces.”
The speaker had drawn a “tidy picture” in his mind, like the neat and organized gears inside a clock. When he arrived, “the gears tumbled out” and the picture “fell to pieces.”
The speaker had drawn a “tidy picture” in his mind, like the neat and organized gears inside a clock. When he arrived, “the gears tumbled out” and the picture “fell to pieces.”
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
