Disillusionment of Ten O’clock

Poetry fascinates me, if you think about the concept of poetry it is one of the most interesting forms of expression. At times, poetry can be so difficult for an outsider to analyze or interpret that it becomes more like an eloquent and articulate diary entry. It is a way for an individual to embody any emotion, desire or thought, no matter how sinister or private, and share it without immediate judgment being passed. Since this is the case, I do not believe that poetry can be categorized as good or bad, it simply holds meaning for the reader, or it does not. Disillusionment of Ten O’clock holds no meaning for me. I read the poem over and over, considering the various factors which contribute to the message of the poem, but I found myself asking, is there even a message?

Where are these houses?
Why are there multiple houses opposed to one?
Why are the colors so specific?
What meaning do they hold with regard to the finished poem?
Baboons and periwinkles- very different creatures why are they grouped together in this line?
Who is this sailor, and if he is a sailor then why are houses referenced opposed to ships?

This poem inspired many questions for me but sparked no primal emotion the way some poetry can...

Poetry is a reflection of the individual, never as a whole, but as various mismatched parts of it. A poem can represent a person’s desires, secrets, sorrows, sins and dreams. I do not believe the best poetry is ever written for someone, but for the person writing it. Therefore, I want to know more about Wallace Stevens, who is he? What element of his personality does this poem represent?

If I were to speculate I would guess this poem is about a dream which Wallace Steven’s had. The poem appears to be so random. I cannot reach any other conclusion that is not extremely farfetched to say the least. There is no conclusive evidence as to what dreams really are; we only know they are the inner workings of our brain. The randomness and seemingly arbitrary details of this poem remind me of dreams, we only remember small portions of them and can never determine whether they have meaning or if they are simply flashes of memories which we try to make sense of.

However, I have no idea, for all I know Wallace Stevens wrote this poem in a passionate frenzy, attempting to express a wide array of emotions, I have absolutely no idea.

** I find these questions to be the lure of poetry, we will never know the meaning of a poem, we will never truly be able to move beyond speculation, all we can be sure to find within a genuine poem is a raw eloquence which intrigues us more than educates us.

***tigers are some of the coolest animals ever...