Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Backyard" by Diane Di Prima is a rich and vivid tapestry of memories, images, and sensations that capture the essence of growing up in Brooklyn. Through a series of contrasting and often paradoxical images, Di Prima explores themes of innocence and violence, beauty and decay, and the sacred and the profane, all set against the backdrop of a Brooklyn neighborhood. The poem oscillates between the fantastical and the gritty reality of urban life, revealing the profound impact of environment on the formation of identity and the perception of the world.

The opening lines transport the reader to a magical space where "angels turned into honeysuckle & poured nectar into my mouth," a place of innocence and wonder where the natural world is alive with sensuality and beauty. This idyllic scene is immediately juxtaposed with darker elements, such as "demons" that provoke violence and the stark, unforgiving simplicity of the sky. This sharp contrast sets the tone for the rest of the poem, highlighting the complex interplay between light and darkness, sweetness and pain that characterizes the speaker's experiences.

The poem's setting is a Brooklyn that is at once enchanting and harsh. The "black roofs" and closed "venetian blinds" suggest a world that is closed off, secretive, or perhaps protective against the outside world. The exclamation "O Brooklyn! Brooklyn!" conveys a deep affection for this place, despite—or perhaps because of—its contradictions. The crumbling fences and "naked plaster women bent eternally white over birdbaths" evoke a sense of decay and neglect, but also of a persistent, haunting beauty that refuses to be extinguished.

Di Prima's Brooklyn is a place where the harsh realities of life are ever-present, from the "icicles on the chains of the swings" that tear at the speaker's fingers to the "creaking tomato plants" that tear at her heart. The vivid imagery of the garden, with its fish heads rotting beneath the plants, creates a sense of life and death intertwined, of growth fueled by decay. The mention of the phonograph and the torn records introduces the theme of art and music as both a source of solace and a reminder of the fragility and impermanence of beauty.

The poem also touches on the theme of community and isolation, as the "plaster saints in the yard" ignore the "naked women in the birdbaths," and the people returning from work are oblivious to the dry lawns and the parched, gloomy sunsets. There is a sense of disconnection, of individuals and communities living in close proximity but separated by unseen barriers, each absorbed in their own struggles and joys.

The closing image of the sun "impaled on black St. Stephen's steeple" captures the blend of beauty and violence, sacredness and profanity that runs through the poem. It is a powerful symbol of the crucible of experiences that shape the speaker's understanding of the world, a world where beauty and brutality, love and loss, are inextricably linked.

"Backyard" is a poignant reflection on the complexities of childhood and the profound ways in which our environments shape us. Di Prima's Brooklyn is a place of stark contrasts, where the boundaries between the magical and the mundane, the sacred and the profane, are blurred. Through her vivid imagery and emotional depth, Di Prima captures the essence of a time and place that is both uniquely personal and universally resonant.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_the_Margin/zZx6_1-e1kkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=BACKYARD

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