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NOTHING TO STEAL, by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography


"Nothing to Steal" by John Ashbery is a vividly elusive poem that encapsulates the poet's penchant for abstract imagery and thematic ambiguity. The poem unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, encompassing a range of disconnected images and scenes that collectively evoke a sense of dislocation and uncertainty.

The opening lines, "What's growing? Will it start / In the next few minutes, leaving us / Far from each other?" immediately immerse the reader in a setting of anticipation and impending change. There's an inherent sense of growth or transformation, yet the nature of this change is unclear, and it hints at a separation or distancing between individuals.

Ashbery's reference to the sun setting in Florida and the adage "there is no night in light" introduces a paradoxical interplay between light and darkness, visibility and obscurity. This juxtaposition may reflect the complexities of human understanding and perception, where clarity and confusion coexist.

The poem then shifts to a "winter / Landscape, dense, tangled," suggesting a metaphorical terrain that is difficult to navigate. The "loner" who encounters this landscape in his vocabulary symbolizes an individual's attempt to make sense of their surroundings and experiences, yet the effort leads to transformation ("made the rest / Into man instead").

Dread, described as the pillow of those who flee, presents an image of unrest and anxiety. This sense of foreboding is contrasted with the mundane and the everyday, as seen in the scenes of a garage sale, students weighing protests, and a light on in the garage.

The poem's narrative is fragmented, moving from one image to another without explicit connections. For instance, the mention of a detective finding only "a light dusting of snow" and "dim, swollen, waxen fruit" on a distant tree adds an element of mystery and unfulfilled expectation.

The latter part of the poem introduces more domestic and relatable imagery, such as the sun returning to the kitchenette and advice to "bite harder" during rabbit wars. These scenes are juxtaposed with the abstract and the surreal, creating a disorienting effect that is characteristic of Ashbery's poetry.

"Nothing to Steal" concludes with a sense of unresolved observation. The presence of parking lights and the uncertain extent to which they are comprehended or internalized by observers reflect the poem's overall theme of partial understanding and the elusive nature of reality.

In summary, "Nothing to Steal" is a quintessentially Ashberian poem, marked by its fragmented narrative, surreal imagery, and exploration of the boundaries between the known and the unknown. It challenges the reader to embrace ambiguity and find meaning in the interplay of disparate elements.

POEM TEXT:https://www.bu.edu/partisanreview/books/PR1984V51N4/HTML/files/assets/basic-html/index.html#516


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