Poem Explication-Kitchenette Building

The first line of Kitchenette Building sets the tone for the rest of the poem. In a short statement, it proclaims how we as people succumb and adhere to the monotonous and tedious days that consume our existence. We are merely game pieces the systematic board of life. We naturally stick to what each hour of the day consists. The action of dreaming is not even fathomable; it can be a whimsical thought, but definitely not more pertinent than paying mortgage or being a supportive housewife. The attitude the poet exhibits is a dull and miserable mood that somehow becomes illuminated with the thought of a dream. Could a dream possibly evade the consistent problems that arise in existence? Imagery is expressed when describing how a dream could spread through the components of everyday living, such as “onion fumes […] fight with fried potatoes, and yesterday’s garbage ripening in the hall” (Brooks, 4-6). The next stanza imposes a rhetorical question: can we let dreams begin? Brooks examines the idea of actually acting on ones ambitions and almost personifying it, “Even if we were willing to let it in, Had time to warm it, keep it very clean,” (Brooks, 8-9). By personifying our dreams, it makes them that more real and possible. The elated mood quickly switches back into reality with the climax of the poem. In the midst of admiring and fantasizing, readers are soon interrupted by yet another occurrence of the daily being. The conclusion of the poem exhibits the more pressing issues in living such as getting into the bathroom when there are more people living in the house than you can count on one hand. The voice of this poem is particularly important because the narration is perceived as the typical member of society that is only thinking about how to survive physically, but not mentally.