Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Kevin Young's "Eddie Priest's Barbershop & Notary Closed Mondays" unfolds as a complex tapestry, an intimate portrait of a community hub-the barbershop. The poem delves into the multifaceted experiences that take place within this communal space, capturing the rhythms of life, expectations, aspirations, and the complex relationships that people share in the space designated for grooming and social interaction.

The poem opens with the line "Closed Mondays," which immediately establishes the temporal frame of the barbershop. This setting is not just about haircuts but serves as a microcosm of society, capturing a wide spectrum of human emotions and situations. It is "music" and "men," a place of waiting and also a place of transformations-both literal and metaphorical. The phrase "while the eagle claws holes / in your pockets" provides a vivid image of time and money being spent, an investment in oneself or perhaps a tax for participating in the social structure of the community.

Young's poem thrives in detail; the atmosphere is evoked through sensory elements like "the turning / of rusty fans," "steel flowers with / cold breezes," and the "sting of wintergreen tonic." This serves not just to paint a vivid picture but also to ground the abstract concepts of time, community, and change in palpable reality. The fans not only keep time but also signify the temporal aspect of human life, where each turn of the fan blades is akin to the ticking of a clock. The "cold breezes" could be read as the challenges or vicissitudes of life that one faces over time.

A striking element is the attention given to the intricate social interactions: "the tender heads / of sons fresh from cornrows" experience "wonder at losing / half their height." This is a rite of passage; young men coming into their own and experiencing the world in a new light. The barbershop serves as a space where these critical moments in life are observed and acknowledged.

The description of "a mother gathering hair / for good luck" adds a layer of ritualistic or superstitious behavior, hinting at the larger cultural implications and traditions that are practiced within this small but significant space. The barbershop is not just a place to groom one's physical appearance but a site where culture, tradition, and even spiritual beliefs manifest and are passed down.

Lines like "cut it clean off / I'm through courting" and "hair only gets in the way" depict a change of phases in life. Here, the barbershop is not merely a grooming station but also a philosophical space where life's decisions are subtly made or at least expressed.

The phrase "a reflection of / a reflection" captures the introspective nature of this community space. The barbershop mirror reflects not just physical appearances but also life's multiplicities-the past, the present, and perhaps even the future. As the poem ends with "when you realize it is / your turn / you are next," Young leaves the reader contemplating the cyclical nature of life and the realization that we all have our moment in the chair-a symbolic space of transformation, introspection, and community engagement.

Through intricate details, vivid imagery, and layered meanings, Young's poem presents the barbershop as a liminal space between the personal and communal, between the mundane and the spiritual. It is where multiple generations meet and where life-in all its messiness, beauty, and complexity-unfolds.

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