Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy’s poem “Skyscrapers of the Financial District Dance with Gasman” captures a surreal and dynamic vision of the financial district’s skyscrapers coming to life in an otherworldly dance. Through vivid imagery and striking personification, Piercy explores themes of chaos, superficiality, and the relentless power of money.

The poem opens with an unexpected and whimsical scene: "The skyscrapers are dancing by the river, they are leaping over their reflections." This personification immediately brings the inanimate buildings to life, transforming them from static structures into animated beings capable of movement and expression. The imagery of their "lightning bright zigzag and beady reflections jagged and shattered on East River" suggests both beauty and fragmentation, capturing the duality of their existence—glamorous yet fragile.

As the skyscrapers dance, their voices are described as "shrill as children's whistles," infusing the scene with a playful yet eerie atmosphere. This childlike quality contrasts sharply with the serious and often oppressive nature of the financial institutions these buildings represent. The safes popping open "like corn" and files whizzing through the air create an image of uncontrolled chaos, as the very symbols of order and security are disrupted.

The streets themselves are portrayed as "throbbing, eels copulating in heaps," a striking and somewhat grotesque metaphor that conveys a sense of frenzied, almost primal activity. This image of the streets as living, writhing entities further emphasizes the theme of chaotic energy underlying the seemingly orderly world of finance.

Ticker tape, a symbol of the financial markets, "hangs in garlands from the wagging streetlamps," adding a festive yet unsettling element to the scene. The amalgamation of major corporations like Standard Oil, General Foods, Dupont, Schenley, and AT&T lying down together symbolizes the convergence and collusion of corporate power. The line "It does not matter, don't hope, it does not matter" underscores a sense of inevitability and futility, suggesting that these machinations are beyond individual control or influence.

In the morning, the scene returns to normalcy: "the buildings stand smooth and shaven and straight and all goes on whirring and ticking." This return to order highlights the superficiality of the previous night's chaos, as the financial district resumes its façade of stability and efficiency. The relentless "whirring and ticking" of the machinery of commerce continues unabated, emphasizing the perpetual motion and unyielding power of the financial system.

Piercy concludes with a reflection on the true power of money: "Money is reticulated and stronger than steel or stone or vision." This assertion captures the pervasive and enduring influence of money, which underpins and drives the actions of the financial district. The final lines—"though sometimes at night the skyscrapers bow and lean and leap under no moon"—suggest that beneath the rigid exterior, there are moments of vulnerability and subversion, fleeting instances when the structures reveal their hidden dynamism.

In summary, "Skyscrapers of the Financial District Dance with Gasman" by Marge Piercy is a powerful and surreal depiction of the financial district's hidden life and energy. Through vivid imagery and personification, Piercy explores the chaotic undercurrents that lie beneath the surface of order and control. The poem delves into themes of superficiality, the relentless power of money, and the fleeting nature of disruption, ultimately highlighting the unyielding influence of the financial system on the world it shapes.

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