Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Heartache," by John Ashbery, paints a vivid, surreal landscape that blurs the lines between reality and imagination, a characteristic feature of Ashbery's poetry. The poem traverses through a series of disparate scenes and images, each contributing to a narrative that is both enigmatic and alluring.

The opening stanza introduces the theme of a 'dangerous slice-of-life,' suggesting a sudden, jarring transition from the mundane to the chaotic. The metaphor of stepping off a board game into a 'frantic lagoon' vividly captures this shift, indicating a plunge into a more turbulent, unpredictable reality.

As the poem progresses, Ashbery employs a collage of scenes and characters that appear disjointed yet are tied together by a thread of underlying anxiety or disquiet. The reference to a barber adding extra lather to a 'stupefied customer’s face' and the interaction with the girl with braids create a sense of ordinary life being disrupted or distorted.

The middle stanzas introduce a darker, more ominous element with the arrival of the police chief who has been collecting 'bright kids.' This bizarre, almost dystopian scenario, where children are bagged and taken away, injects a sense of foreboding into the poem. It raises questions about authority, control, and the loss of innocence.

The imagery of snow lashing against windowpanes 'as though punishing them' adds to the atmosphere of entrapment and isolation. The town's indifference to the disappearance of the children ('No one missed the kids') reflects a chilling apathy and detachment.

The poem's landscape continues to morph, with the final stanzas depicting a town where the only remnants of normalcy are the neon signs of a tavern. The image of sidewalks filled with 'v’s drawn in pink chalk' and the comforting glow of the neon sign juxtapose the eerie and the familiar, further enhancing the surreal quality of the poem.

Throughout "Heartache," Ashbery masterfully weaves together disparate elements to create a tapestry that is both disorienting and deeply engaging. The poem challenges the reader to navigate through its shifting scenes and images, inviting multiple interpretations and reflections on the complexities of human experience, authority, and the nature of reality itself.

POEM TEXT: https://ashberyhouse.yale.edu/heartache

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