I Feel A Little Jumpy Around You- Pg. 34-65

I love this poetry book so much! Although, it is taking me quite some time to actually put my full attention to each and every poem. That's why it's taking me so long. As I've been reading, a lot of the poems seem to be about love that never was, or love that no one knew about or couldn't show. It has an over all theme of love, and how people felt about others. This poem called Passages by Mark Vinz is very saddening, but interesting as well! The first poem in the book I just happen to open is about a dead father- how many like it I've read before I knew what they meant. And now, every book I pick up has one of those poems in it- every book in every room. Listen: sometimes he and I would sit alone, for hours, not talking. I couldn't leave-he wanted me home, not to talk to or listen to, just to sit there, two aging men. . . Do you know how it is to hate somebody for leaving when you need him there? So the author is clearly dealing with the death of his father or about to be mourning that death. The irony that the first poem of the book is about a dead father may symbolize that coming of that event for him and saying that it is coming soon. And the fact that he read poems before, when he didn't know what they meant shows a loss of innocense or ignorance. Maybe both. But, it demonstrates a sense of maturity in knowing the inevitable and accepting that. When they sit alone together, that could possibly mean that even though they are physically together, they feel alone. The son is angry at his father for leaving (dying) when he feels he still needs him on Earth.