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Charles Simic

Charles Simic

Poem

The two stanza poem sets a scene of an urban man tying his shoes. First there is the imagery of the smoke rising in the sky – the endless possibilities “great strides”, freedom “I belong to no one” – the imagery almost makes you want to look up, or at least “the smoke mount” makes you think of something rising and unrestrained. The second image is an inverse of the first, now the “down” image permeates it. He mentions his “shoe” an echo to the “stride” in the first stanza (we stride a form of walking). The shoes can easily represent civilization, a banal action that ties to where and what he is, a force that connects him and keeps him tied down to earth and all the responsibilities that it entails for us. Dreaming is important and vital, but so is putting on your shoes and remembering where you are. Or it might be completely meta poem, a comment on poetry itself and what it does for us – takes us to another level, while being grounded in every day experience.

References

http://www.clareified.com/2010/05/05/a-poem-by-any-other-name-by-guest-blogger-petitedov/

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