The poet uses third person omniscient point of view to describe the poem. He (poet) uses other ideas and feelings to express himself such as being the dustmen, looking at the couple, “” watching some odorless TV ad”, the ways of life portrayed (person in a film, character) seemed unusually perfect. According to the point of view of the garbage men, the couples are so unreal to them and their lifestyle is impossible to reach so that they could not have such a perfect lifestyle as the rich people. Moreover, this poem is very vivid that the poet describes everything in detail. For example: a bright garbage truck with two garbage men in red plastic blazers standing on the back stoop, one on each side hanging on and looking down into an elegant open Mercedes with an elegant couple in it. Furthermore, the sentences involve a metaphor about the society. The metaphor describes that people come different social classes live together in the same city, “Between them, across that small gulf in the high seas of the democracy”. For an instance these four persons were held together by the red light as if anything were possible to happen between them. Also, there is oxymoron, such as line 1 to 9, “At the stoplight waiting for the light, nine am downtown San Francisco, a bright garbage truck with two garbage men in red plastic blazers standing on the back stoop, one on each side hanging on and looking down into an elegant open Mercedes with an elegant in it”. Besides, it contains alliterations. For example: line 14 “with a short skirt and colored stocking” and in line 13 “the young blond woman so casually coifed”. Moreover, there are repetition on line 8&9, “an elegant open Mercedes with an elegant couple in it” and on line 30&33, “in which everything is possible. As if everything is possible”. Additionally, the language used is relevant to the theme of the poem because it describes the rich and poor people as if two of them are in two “extreme” situations, very rich and very poor.
In conclusion, I think this poem is about the contrast between the poor and the rich since the poet describes the garbage men and the couple that they are as if living in two places far apart but they actually are living in the same place. Moreover, it gives me a feeling that they are living in two different places that are impossible to reach each other. Besides, it gives me two feeling that are despair and happiness, which could also be hell and paradise. I have a feeling that one of them are living in a place where they are in a vacation and one is in a place where they are suffering and they are admiring the people who are living happily. As well, the contrasts between these two kinds of people are like a unique piece of music that was created in the period with two dramatic mood and characteristics. In conclusion, this poem gives a vivid description of two kinds of people that I am also in that scene and understanding the gap between the rich and poor. In the end, the poet achieves her purpose of comparing two different economic wise people. It reminds me of the problem of disparity between the rich and the poor.
