Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In John Ashbery's "How to Continue," the reader is invited into a narrative microcosm-a tiny island shop surrounded by a dock, where the air seems tinged with the perpetual glow of friendship, love, and an endless party. The poem projects an aura of utopia where people come to "see what life could be" and find it "always different but very nice." These lines illustrate an ideal state of change and stasis, a paradise that is both dynamic and comforting.

The atmosphere is not just celebratory but also poetically transformative. Relationships are described as "growing so perfectly from the other," marking the existence as "a marvel of poetry and irony." This phase, laden with idealism, could symbolize the exuberance of youth or perhaps the initial phase of any endeavor, relationship, or community when things seem to grow organically, filled with promise and excitement.

Despite the seeming perfection, Ashbery hints at the darker sides of this world. The quarter is "unsafe," "scary and dirty," but nobody minds-these are overlooked flaws in a world viewed through rose-colored glasses. This complex setting provides a nuanced texture to the poem, reflecting life's often messy and contradictory nature. Even in what feels like paradise, shadows exist.

Then comes the paradigm shift. The ship sails away, taking with it the dreamers and leaving behind "just sleepers in heavy attitudes." This turning point is a metaphorical passage denoting the end of an era or the fading of illusions. The lines "the random shops of modern furniture" perhaps hint at the consumeristic nature that often invades and corrodes community spirit, turning meaningful interactions into transactional exchanges. It's a poignant moment that captures the inevitable dissolution of utopian ideals, whether through time, disenchantment, or commercialism.

A gale comes, symbolizing a force of change, whispering that "it is time to take all of you away." This moment serves as a messenger of fate or nature, revealing the transient essence of life's phases. Ashbery encapsulates the communal sentiment of unity in the lines, "for they said we are all one here, and if one of us goes the other will not go." The island's inhabitants have shared a collective experience so powerful that it creates a sense of unity, even as they face their shared ending.

The poem culminates in a bittersweet tableau as the people "looked back on love," a glance back at a vanished world, cherishing its beauty and its flaws. Ashbery's poem, in its lyrical storytelling and its deeply human themes, wrestles with the complexities of community, the idealism and disillusionment inherent in human gatherings, and the inevitable shifts that life imposes on us. It serves as a meditation on how to continue when the idyllic becomes mundane, when dreams fade, and when, despite it all, we must look back on love and move on.

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