Tuesday 9:00 AM- Denver Butson

A man standing at the bus stop
reading the newspaper is on fire
Flames are peeking out
from beneath his collar and cuffs
His shoes have begun to melt

The woman next to him
wants to mention it to him
that he is burning
but she is drowning
Water is everywhere
in her mouth and ears
in her eyes
A stream of water runs
steadily from her blouse

Another woman stands at the bus stop
freezing to death
She tries to stand near the man
who is on fire
to try to melt the icicles
that have formed on her eyelashes
and on her nostrils
to stop her teeth long enough
from chattering to say something
to the woman who is drowning
but the woman who is freezing to death
has trouble moving
with blocks of ice on her feet

It takes the three some time
to board the bus
what with the flames
and water and ice
But when they finally climb the stairs
and take their seats
the driver doesn't even notice
that none of them has paid
because he is tortured
by visions and is wondering
if the man who got off at the last stop
was really being mauled to death
by wild dogs.

This poem is called Tuesday 9:00am by the wordsmith Denver Butson. As I was looking through the list of poems, I thought this poem had an interesting title and immediately clicked on it. Then, when I read it, I really loved it and what it meant. The meaning and significance of the poem is what I love about it the most. It is saying how everyone has problems and life is just one tragedy after another. The world is full of people who are filled with problems and when you think you have problems, the next guy is even worse off. And people just have constant problems that never end and that is why the poet is talking about 9:00 AM Tuesday morning. It is just saying how so much can happen at any time and anywhere; it is an endless cycle. I especially love how the poem begins: "A man standing at the bus stop/ reading the newspaper is on fire"; one would think it is such a normal, boring intro, but then in the end it is surprising to hear that the man is on fire. (I was just pulled right into the poem after the beginning lines.) Also, there are three charatcers that have terrible things happening (burning, drowning, and freezing), but the language used is so relaxed.The poet writes, "Flames are peeking out/ from beneath his collar and cuffs", "A stream of water runs/ steadily from her blouse" and "to try to melt the icicles/ that have formed on her eyelashes". (Especailly peeking sounds almost like a fun word word asscoiated with peek-a-boo, a stream of water is usuall peacefull, and melting icicles is a slow and almost pretty thing to watch.) I feel like since people have problems everyday, the speaker is tryng to make them sound almost pleasant because he is making the last character sound like he is worse off. Especially at the end, he is trying to make the last guy's situation really terrible than the guys before, so he uses the words "mauled to death". It is hard because everyone always thinks they have the worst issues until they go to the next person. The world is just a crazy place and no one knows why any of these things happen.

The poem is free verse and does not conform to any patterns, rhymes, or rules. But, the poem did have a lot of imagery. I could really imagine a lot of the things that the wordsmith wrote. Some imagery used is "She tries to stand near the man who is on fire/ to try to melt the icicles/ that have formed on her eyelashes/ and on her nostrils/ to stop her teeth long enough/ from chattering to say something; this is excellant imagery and it is portrayed vividly in my mind as I read it. Also, I like how the stanzas are arranged and each has to do with one person plus their relation to the person/people written in the stanzas before. The first stanze is about the man on fire, second is about the drowning woman next to the man on fire, third is about the woman freezing and the others (drowning and fire) near her, and fourth is all of the getting on the bus plus the driver's thoughts at the very end. I really enjoyed this poem and thinking about it's deeper meaning. Of course I would reccommend it especially to someone who really wants to get something meaningful out of a poem; this poem is clear, easy to read, and simple. The poet has such a simple and to the point way of saying something so deep and profound. It really made me think about things in the world and my own life in particular. After reading this terrific poem, I would love to see other poems that this poet has written.