Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Bromige's poem "We're All Young Once" is a vivid exploration of youth's fleeting moments, characterized by a sense of abandon, desire, and the pursuit of pleasure. Through a series of vivid images and scenarios, Bromige captures the essence of youthful exuberance, where the boundaries between anticipation and realization blur, and the night promises endless possibilities.

The poem opens with "Deliriums of pleasure, doors reeling open as we think of them previous to touch," a line that immediately immerses the reader in the anticipatory excitement that precedes actual experience. This anticipation of pleasure, before even the tactile experience, underscores the power of desire and imagination to shape our perceptions and experiences. The doors reeling open symbolize the opening of opportunities and experiences, a threshold to the unknown that is eagerly, if somewhat recklessly, embraced.

Music and light play central roles in setting the scene, with "music, like lights upon the shoulder of the listing arm," suggesting a physical manifestation of sound and illumination that adorns and guides the revelers. The imagery is both literal and metaphorical, illuminating the scene and the participants, casting them in a glow that highlights the ephemeral beauty of the moment.

The "rocks from the pocket largesse all across the bar" speaks to the carefree generosity that characterizes youth's brief encounters. This gesture of scattering rocks, perhaps metaphorical for value or care, across the bar, suggests a disregard for the material in favor of the momentary, the experience, and the connection with others.

The mention of unlocking the car and the dark roads unwinding before the group symbolizes the journey ahead, both literal and figurative. It represents the path of life that stretches out, filled with unknowns, adventures, and the promise of discovery. The roads are "dark" not only in their literal absence of light but also in their uncertainty and the potential for both joy and despair.

Bromige's use of "unwonted confidences" captures the intimacy and openness that can emerge in these youthful escapades, where the normal barriers of reserve are lowered, and individuals share parts of themselves more freely, often spurred by the night's temporary camaraderie.

The poem then shifts to a more personal encounter, where the speaker recounts calling up a woman, promising her a bottle to drink. The description of her "enormity of tit, soft upper white of arm" is both sensual and tender, suggesting a yearning for comfort, for connection, beyond the mere physical. She is described as "really something else," a phrase that elevates her from the realm of the ordinary, making her a focal point of desire and affection.

The final lines, "to cradle us & drive us home at last," evoke a sense of longing for safety and care amidst the chaos of the night. The use of "cradle" suggests a return to a state of innocence and protection, a desire to be looked after when the revelry has subsided, and the reality of vulnerability sets in.

"We're All Young Once" is a poem that captures the essence of youthful abandon and the complex interplay of anticipation, desire, and the search for connection. Bromige's vivid imagery and evocative scenarios draw the reader into a world where the night promises endless possibilities, where the pursuit of pleasure is intertwined with a deeper longing for understanding, acceptance, and care. Through this poem, Bromige invites reflection on the fleeting moments of youth, the experiences that shape us, and the universal quest for meaning amidst life's transient joys and sorrows.

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