Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Lehman’s "May 24: Radio" is a brief but evocative meditation on time, absence, and the comforting continuity of music. The poem is structured in free verse, with short, clipped lines that mirror the simplicity of the act it describes. Despite its brevity, the poem captures the depth of a personal ritual—leaving the radio on to create a sense of warmth and familiarity upon returning home.

The poem begins with an almost casual statement: "I left it on when I / left the house / for the pleasure / of coming back." The enjambment between these lines slows the reader’s pace, emphasizing the anticipation of return. The decision to leave the radio on is not accidental; it is an act of intention, a way of creating continuity in a space that will otherwise remain uninhabited. The phrase "for the pleasure" signals that this is not just a practical decision but a deliberate effort to shape the experience of homecoming.

Time passes—"ten hours later"—and the speaker reenters the house to find music still filling the space. The piece playing is "the greatness / of Teddy Wilson / ‘After You’ve Gone’ / on the piano." Teddy Wilson, a renowned jazz pianist, is known for his elegant, understated style. "After You’ve Gone" is a jazz standard that speaks of loss and regret, its bittersweet melody carrying a sense of nostalgia. The choice of this particular song underscores the poem’s themes of departure and return, absence and presence.

The placement of the piano is significant—"in the corner / of the bedroom / as I enter / in the dark." The music is both physically and emotionally situated; it is not at the center but at the periphery, just as sound lingers in memory or fills an otherwise empty space. The final words—"in the dark"—reinforce a sense of solitude. The speaker returns to a house that is not illuminated by human presence but by the sound that has been waiting for him, sustaining a form of life in his absence.

Lehman’s poem captures a fleeting but resonant moment, elevating the mundane act of leaving a radio on into a meditation on comfort, memory, and the intimate connection between music and time. It is a quiet acknowledgment of how we shape our environments to make them feel inhabited, even when we are not there, and how art—like Teddy Wilson’s piano—can bridge the gaps of absence, waiting to welcome us home.

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