Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"At the San Francisco Airport" is a poem by Yvor Winters, first published in 1958.

Explanation:

The poem is written from the perspective of a speaker who is watching people arrive and depart at the San Francisco airport. The speaker observes the crowds of people coming and going, noting their emotions and thoughts as they move through the airport. The speaker contemplates the fleeting nature of human connections and the transience of life.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem consists of three stanzas, each with six lines of roughly equal length.
• Imagery: The poem contains vivid imagery, such as "Faces along the bar / Cling to their average day" and "A few friends, term-traveled / Together, describe the city / Shared by no one else."
• Tone: The tone of the poem is reflective and contemplative, with a sense of sadness and nostalgia.
• Metaphor: The airport is used as a metaphor for the transience of life and the fleeting nature of human connections.

Conclusion:

"At the San Francisco Airport" is a poignant meditation on the human experience of transience and the passing of time. Through its vivid imagery and reflective tone, the poem offers a powerful commentary on the nature of modern life and the complex emotional landscape of the airport.

Poem Snippet:

"Faces along the bar

Cling to their average day:

The lights must never go out,

The music must always play,

All the conventions conspire

To make this fort assume

The furniture of home;

Lest we should see where we are,

Lost in a haunted wood,

Children afraid of the night

Who have never been happy or good."