Chicago, Illinois

Rows of rectangles rise, set into brick.
And in every rectangle, there is a lamp.
Why should there be a lamp in every window?
Because in all this wide city, there is not
enough light. Because the young in the world
are crazy for light and the old are afraid
it will leave them. Because whoever you are,
if you come home late but it looks like noon,
you won’t tense at the click as you walk in
which is probably after all only the heat
coming on, or the floorboards settling.
So when you fling your coat to its peg in
the hall, and kick off your heels, and unzip
your black velvet at that odd vee’d angle as if
someone were twisting your arm from behind,
then reach inside the closet for a hanger,
just to the dark left where the dresses live,
what happens next is a complete surprise.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Lola Haskins's poem Dearborn North Apartments

2 Comments

  1. Kimberly Tobin says:

    I’m having a difficult time understanding the poem, and I have to do a project on it… can you help me? I have to more like put the poem in my own words. And not understanding it is not working for me.
    Thank you
    Kimberly Tobin

  2. sharmai says:

    this poem is good i think that it could be better if more effort was put into it

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