Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Mark Jarman's poem "Los Angeles" is a rich and evocative exploration of adolescence, desire, and identity set against the backdrop of the sprawling, chaotic city. Through vivid imagery and reflective prose, Jarman captures the complexities of growing up in a city that serves as both a playground and a proving ground for the young protagonists.

The poem opens with a description of the speaker and his friend as "perfect citizens, good boys / and punks with car keys." This juxtaposition sets the tone for the exploration of dualities—innocence and rebellion, spirituality and carnality—that permeate the poem. The speaker identifies himself as "the preacher's kid" and his friend as "the defiant Jew," highlighting their different backgrounds but also noting how these differences are blurred by the shared experience of driving on Los Angeles freeways: "the wheel spun that difference into haze."

Jarman's depiction of driving in Los Angeles is both literal and metaphorical. The freeways are described as "high and smooth as altar tops," suggesting a sense of reverence and ritual in the act of driving. This idea is further emphasized by the imagery of "clutching at a host of girlfriends" and finding "the thrill of God...in our hands." The act of driving becomes a form of worship, a way to seek transcendence and fulfillment.

The poem captures the sensory overload of the city: "White by night, like letters, floodlit, stamped on green enamel, our purity seemed certain." The city's lights, signs, and movements create an almost surreal environment where the boys' desires and dreams are both magnified and distorted. The mention of "the garden of high speed" and the imagery of "sacred flares spurted fire" evoke a sense of danger and excitement, as well as the inevitability of accidents and the scars they leave behind.

Jarman delves into the deeper, often darker, aspects of adolescence. The boys' prayers for girls with "flammable skin" and their worship of engines and driveways reflect their intense, almost desperate, longing for connection and validation. These prayers, however, are ultimately unfulfilling: "We learned that prayer only put us to sleep." The boys' sexual frustrations and fantasies are vividly depicted, emphasizing their inexperience and the gap between their desires and reality.

The poem also touches on issues of privilege and identity. The speaker acknowledges their relative privilege with a sense of self-awareness and guilt: "We could have been young blacks growing up to brace / our hips by the roadside, shoveling crushed glass into oil drums. / My God, we could have been girls, approached by hands like ours, becoming mothers driving for children." This reflection on alternative lives highlights the arbitrary nature of their circumstances and the privileges they take for granted.

Jarman's use of religious imagery throughout the poem reinforces the themes of worship and transcendence. The boys "roared our self-satisfaction to the mountains and highrises" and felt "the earth that smelled good as fresh gas," conflating spiritual and physical sensations. Yet, despite their bravado and self-assurance, there are "small revelations of loss" that "splattered our vision," hinting at the underlying emptiness and disillusionment.

The poem's conclusion shifts to a more reflective tone, as the speaker looks back on their youth with a mix of nostalgia and regret: "What you found and I found...was the city suddenly / out of reach; the city like a model of our past, under glass." This image of the city as a preserved model suggests a sense of detachment and the passage of time. The boys' youthful exploits and dreams are now distant memories, and their former selves are both worshipped and scrutinized from afar.

In "Los Angeles," Mark Jarman masterfully captures the essence of adolescence, with its heady mix of excitement, confusion, and longing. The poem's rich imagery and reflective prose invite readers to contemplate the dualities of youth and the ways in which our identities are shaped by our environments and experiences. Through the lens of Los Angeles, Jarman explores the universal themes of desire, privilege, and the search for meaning in a complex and often unforgiving world.

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