Analysis of "Tuesday 9:00 AM." (A piece of poetry)

Tuesday 9:00 AM

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 

but she is drowning

wants to mention it to him

that he is burning

steadily from her blouse

Water is everywhere

in her mouth and ears

A stream of water runs

in her eyes

who is on fire

Another woman stands at the bus stop

freezing to death

to stop her teeth long enough

She tries to stand near the man

to try to melt the icicles

that have formed on her eyelashes

and on her nostrils

from chattering to say something

with blocks of ice on her feet

to the woman who is drowning

but the woman who is freezing to death

has trouble moving

to board the bus

It takes the three some time

that none of them has paid

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

by wild dogs.

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

—Denver Butson

     Above is the poem Tuesday 9:00 AM by Denver Butson. The setting of this poem is at a bus stop. This narrator describes the bus stop as an ordinary bus stop with extraordinary passengers. The passengers consisting of two females and one male. The three individuals are strikingly different. Despite their differences they all balance each other out. Denver Butson emphasizes the personalities of three characters at a bus stop to express the theory of balance through symbolism, diction, and imagery.

     The most significant piece of this poetry is what each character had contributed to in creating the theory of balance. The first man was described as a man on fire. This man is not literally on fire, Butson used these traits as a symbol for the characters emotional well-being. Fire is related to the emotion of anger. The narrator says, "Flames are peeking out," expressing the mans anger is clearly visible. His anger is not kept inside of him, therefore feeding his negative energy to the other passengers surrounding him. While reading the narrator says, "from beneath his collar and cuffs His shoes have begun to melt." Butson created the image of the consequences clothing and shoes would face from being burned. Yes, shoes would melt if the man was on fire, but that man wouldn't be standing at a bus stop with a newspaper if he was on fire. In a natural world the man would be seeking water, and running towards help. Obviously meaning that he is not on fire. He is not just angry either. The man is furious.

     Another character described was the woman standing next to the man on fire. She was quite peculiar as well. This woman isn't on fire though, she was drowning. A woman drowning who isn't in water. Clearly this isn't possible. Butson again symbolizes a force with an emotion. Therefore, relating drowning and also water to the woman's sadness. The narrator says, "A stream of water runs in her eyes." The stream of water is relating to an abundance of tears that this woman has produced, because she feels sorrow. The narrator explains, "she wants to mention it to him that he is burning steadily from her blouse Water is everywhere." When Butson describes that the drowning woman can't communicate with the man on fire, he added that water is now everywhere. Imagining the water as tears develops the sense that she began to cry more because she was a helpless bystander and could be of no help to the man on fire. This woman is drowning in her own sadness.

     Lastly, the third character Butson had described was another woman. Not a woman on fire, or a woman who is drowning, simply a woman who is freezing to death. Freezing is fairly normal until the narrator describes the woman with, "the icicles that have formed on her eyelashes and nostrils." Generally people who visit a bus stop are not going to develop icicles onto their skin. Butson finalizes the last major character again with the symbolism of emotions. This woman is not freezing to death, she is shy. When a person is cold they often hug their own bodies to keep them warm. This woman who is freezing to death has had her arms locked to her body to keep her warmth, forcing her to keep all her emotions stored in her body. Her emotions being held to herself has created a forceful impact of shyness in the woman's life.The narrator says, "from chattering to say something" but she never does say anything. She never says anything because of her shyness. The woman fails when she tries to speak and she also keeps to herself. The shyness of this woman is symbolized by the idea of freezing.

    Several references in the poem relate to fire, water, and ice. More specifically how they impact each other. The man on fire was able to aid in melting the ice off of the freezing woman's body. Or this can be viewed as his anger and frustration with the woman eventually forced her to speak and overcome her shyness. Also, the drowning woman was able to aid in putting out the man on fire. Or this can be viewed as her tears helped the man calm down, and be less angry. None of these circumstances happened intentionally. Butson had the idea that the people that surround others have a great affect on one another. Personalities are made different to help balance everyone out. If all people were on fire (angry) there would be no peace, and vice-versa with the theory of the freezing woman and the drowning woman. All people need each one another to balance out, without balance everything would end negatively. Just like this poem ended.