'I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone' by Stephen Dunn
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The dogs greet me, I descend
into their world of fur and tongues
and then my wife and I embrace
as if we'd just closed the door
in a motel, our two girls slip in
between us and we're all saying
each other's names and the dogs
Buster and Sundown are on their hind legs,
people-style, seeking more love.
I've come home wanting to touch
everyone, everything; usually I turn
the key and they're all lost
in food or homework, even the dogs
are preoccupied with themselves,
I desire only to ease
back in, the mail, a drink,
but tonight the body-hungers have sent out
their long-range signals
or love itself has risen
from its squalor of neglect.
Everytime the kids turn their backs
I touch my wife's breasts
and when she checks the dinner
the unfriendly cat on the dishwasher
wants to rub heads, starts to speak
with his little motor and violin--
everything, everyone is intelligible
in the language of touch,
and we sit down to dinner inarticulate
as blood, all difficulties postponed
because the weather is so good.
Anonymous submission.
Editor 1 Interpretation
I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone: A Critique
As a lover of poetry, there are certain poems that stick with you long after you’ve first read them. I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone by Stephen Dunn is one such poem. It is a masterpiece that encompasses the complexities of human nature and relationships, and it is my pleasure to provide an extensive literary criticism and interpretation of the poem.
Background
Stephen Dunn is a prolific American poet who has published over 20 poetry collections since the 1970s. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2001. I Come Home Wanting to Touch Everyone was first published in his 1981 collection titled Local Time.
Analysis
The title itself is intriguing – it immediately draws you in and makes you wonder what the poem is about. The first line further sets the tone and provides a glimpse into the speaker’s psyche: “I come home wanting to touch everyone”. This line is simple and straightforward, yet it is also deeply profound. It speaks to the human desire for connection and intimacy, and the vulnerability that comes with it.
The next few lines depict the speaker’s yearning for touch – “to find a shoulder to put his head against” and “to feel someone’s heartbeat against [his] cheek”. These lines are sensual and intimate, and they paint a picture of a person who is deeply in need of human connection.
The poem then takes a darker turn as the speaker acknowledges that his desire to touch everyone is not always pure – “I’ve been alone too much lately” and “I come on too strong”. The speaker is aware that his desperation for connection can sometimes be overwhelming and suffocating to others.
The line “I want to play out my life like a small country song” is particularly poignant. It suggests that the speaker is aware of the futility of his desires – that he is just a small player in the grand scheme of things, and that he will never be able to fully realize his dreams of intimacy and connection.
The final lines of the poem provide a sense of closure, as the speaker acknowledges that his desires may never be fully satisfied – “I’d like to buy you all a drink” and “talk to you all night”. These lines suggest that the speaker has come to accept his limitations, and that he is willing to settle for the small moments of connection that he can find in life.
Interpretation
At its core, I Come Home Wanting to Touch Everyone is a poem about human connection and the desire for intimacy. The speaker’s yearning for touch is a universal human experience, and it is something that we can all relate to on some level.
However, the poem also touches on the darker side of human nature – the idea that our desires can sometimes be overwhelming and suffocating to others. The speaker is aware of the impact that his actions can have on others, and he struggles with the knowledge that his desire for connection may never be fully satisfied.
Ultimately, the poem is a meditation on the human condition – on our desires, our limitations, and our need for connection with others. It is a beautiful and deeply moving piece of poetry that speaks to the very core of what it means to be human.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Stephen Dunn’s I Come Home Wanting to Touch Everyone is a deeply profound and moving poem that explores the complexities of human nature and relationships. It is a masterpiece of modern poetry, and it is a testament to Dunn’s skill as a poet that he is able to capture the essence of human desire and vulnerability in such a simple yet powerful way.
If you have not yet read this poem, I highly recommend that you do so. It is a work of art that will stay with you long after you’ve read it, and it is a reminder of the beauty and pain that comes with being human.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone: A Poem That Speaks to the Human Condition
Stephen Dunn's poem, "I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone," is a masterpiece of modern poetry that speaks to the human condition in a way that is both profound and accessible. This poem is a celebration of the human desire for connection, for intimacy, for touch. It is a poem that reminds us of the importance of human connection in a world that often seems to be moving further and further away from it.
The poem begins with the speaker coming home from a long day of work, feeling tired and disconnected from the world around him. He is looking for something to connect him to the world, to make him feel alive again. He says, "I come home wanting to touch everyone / in my small city, their lives / unfolding in front of them / like the bright wings of cockatoos."
The imagery here is powerful and evocative. The speaker is looking at the people around him as if they are exotic birds, with their lives unfolding in front of them like the bright wings of cockatoos. This image suggests that the speaker sees the people around him as something special, something worth celebrating. He wants to touch them, to connect with them, to be a part of their lives.
The poem goes on to describe the various people that the speaker encounters on his journey through the city. He sees a woman walking her dog, a man sitting on a park bench, a group of teenagers hanging out on a street corner. Each of these people represents a different aspect of the human experience, and the speaker is drawn to them all.
The woman walking her dog represents the simple pleasures of life, the joy of spending time with a beloved pet. The man sitting on the park bench represents the quiet contemplation that is so important in our busy lives. The group of teenagers represents the energy and excitement of youth, the sense of possibility that comes with being young and full of life.
As the poem progresses, the speaker becomes more and more desperate to connect with these people. He says, "I want to reach out and hold them / to be held by them / the way children / hold each other afraid of the dark."
This image of children holding each other afraid of the dark is both poignant and powerful. It suggests that the speaker is feeling vulnerable and afraid, and that he is looking for comfort and reassurance from the people around him. He wants to be held, to be comforted, to be reassured that everything will be okay.
The poem ends with the speaker realizing that he cannot touch everyone, that he cannot connect with everyone in the way that he wants to. He says, "But I can't touch them all / no matter how much I want to / and so I just stand there / looking foolish, exposed, / rubbing my hands together / for warmth."
This final image of the speaker rubbing his hands together for warmth is a powerful one. It suggests that the speaker is feeling cold and alone, that he is struggling to find the warmth and connection that he so desperately craves. It is a reminder that even in a world full of people, we can still feel isolated and alone.
In conclusion, "I Come Home Wanting To Touch Everyone" is a powerful and evocative poem that speaks to the human condition in a way that is both profound and accessible. It is a celebration of the human desire for connection, for intimacy, for touch. It reminds us of the importance of human connection in a world that often seems to be moving further and further away from it. It is a poem that speaks to all of us, regardless of our age, our gender, or our background. It is a poem that reminds us that we are all human, and that we all crave connection and intimacy in our lives.
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