Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem "Living at the Airport" is a meditation on change, distance, and the quiet shifts in family life as children grow and move away. The poem weaves together memory and observation, contrasting the past struggles of parenting with the present reality of watching loved ones depart. The airport, as a space of constant transition, becomes both a literal and symbolic setting for examining how families evolve, separate, and redefine their connections.

The poem opens with an immediate sense of departure: "Because they lived near a major airport, / their children were always flying over their heads." The phrasing suggests not just physical travel but an emotional and generational movement—children growing up, leaving home, and becoming distant figures, assimilating "into cloud" until their former shared life becomes "smaller even than lives together remembered." This diminishing perspective reflects the inevitable shrinking of childhood’s intensity, as memories become more distant and the present is shaped by absence.

The speaker then recalls specific moments of childhood—"the floor furnace they leapt over for whole winters, / its gaping hot breath." This vivid image captures both physical warmth and a symbolic homebound intimacy, a reminder of a time when the children were still grounded, navigating the familiar perils of a shared domestic space. The reference to "how far they had come from / the clumsy navy stroller in the hall / with its bum wheel and brakes" reinforces the sense of transition. The stroller, a tangible symbol of early dependence, contrasts with the image of the children now airborne, highlighting the distance between past vulnerability and present autonomy.

A poignant moment emerges in the line "The mother used to cry, pushing that thing." This brief, unembellished statement carries a weight of exhaustion and emotional strain, evoking the struggles of early parenthood. There is no elaboration, only the quiet acknowledgment that those difficult moments existed—perhaps forgotten by the children but remembered by the parents.

The father, now left with an empty home, develops a habit of going to the airport "just to see / people saying good-bye and hello." This act suggests a longing for connection, a way of participating in moments of transition that echo his own experiences. However, it is the "good-bye" that brings him "relief." The observation that "Before boarding, families looked so awkward together" reveals an unspoken tension in departures—ritualistic, sometimes strained expressions of affection that barely conceal the inevitability of separation. The repeated farewells—"Now you be good, hear? Give a call if you can."—suggest a kind of performative reassurance, as if families are compelled to say these things while already anticipating distance.

The poem then turns to a reflection on technological change: "Since so many suitcases had their own wheels now, / he wondered, had the old rooted suitcases gone to live in attics / stuffed with unseasonable clothes, or junkyards with disappeared cars?" The metaphor of "rooted suitcases" contrasts with the modern ease of mobility, implying that once, travel required effort, heaviness, and permanence. The old, unwheeled suitcases, now obsolete, find their way to storage or scrap heaps—much like the remnants of past eras, discarded as time moves forward. This comparison to "disappeared cars" suggests that just as objects are left behind, so too are moments, routines, and relationships, gradually replaced by new forms.

The final question extends this reflection: "And what staple of their lives might have wheels next, / not to mention wings?" This closing thought carries both wonder and apprehension. The image of wheels and wings suggests relentless motion, a future where even more aspects of life become untethered, mobile, perhaps unrecognizably transformed. The underlying fear is that everything that once felt stable—family, home, connection—might eventually take flight, leaving nothing behind but memory.

"Living at the Airport" is a quiet yet deeply resonant poem about transition, nostalgia, and the ways in which families navigate distance. Naomi Shihab Nye captures the inevitable shifts of life with restrained but powerful imagery, balancing personal recollection with broader observations on modern mobility. The poem’s tone is neither entirely mournful nor celebratory, but rather contemplative—recognizing that while change is constant, the echoes of past lives remain, stored away like old suitcases in attics, even as the world moves forward.

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