'In The Baggage Room At Greyhound' by Allen Ginsberg


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I

In the depths of the Greyhound Terminal
sitting dumbly on a baggage truck looking at the sky
waiting for the Los Angeles Express to depart
worrying about eternity over the Post Office roof in
the night-time red downtown heaven
staring through my eyeglasses I realized shuddering
these thoughts were not eternity, nor the poverty
of our lives, irritable baggage clerks,
nor the millions of weeping relatives surrounding the
buses waving goodbye,
nor other millions of the poor rushing around from
city to city to see their loved ones,
nor an indian dead with fright talking to a huge cop
by the Coke machine,
nor this trembling old lady with a cane taking the last
trip of her life,
nor the red-capped cynical porter collecting his quar-
ters and smiling over the smashed baggage,
nor me looking around at the horrible dream,
nor mustached negro Operating Clerk named Spade,
dealing out with his marvelous long hand the
fate of thousands of express packages,
nor fairy Sam in the basement limping from leaden
trunk to trunk,
nor Joe at the counter with his nervous breakdown
smiling cowardly at the customers,
nor the grayish-green whale's stomach interior loft
where we keep the baggage in hideous racks,
hundreds of suitcases full of tragedy rocking back and
forth waiting to be opened,
nor the baggage that's lost, nor damaged handles,
nameplates vanished, busted wires & broken
ropes, whole trunks exploding on the concrete
floor,
nor seabags emptied into the night in the final
warehouse.

II

Yet Spade reminded me of Angel, unloading a bus,
dressed in blue overalls black face official Angel's work-
man cap,
pushing with his belly a huge tin horse piled high with
black baggage,
looking up as he passed the yellow light bulb of the loft
and holding high on his arm an iron shepherd's crook.

III

It was the racks, I realized, sitting myself on top of
them now as is my wont at lunchtime to rest
my tired foot,
it was the racks, great wooden shelves and stanchions
posts and beams assembled floor to roof jumbled
with baggage,
--the Japanese white metal postwar trunk gaudily
flowered & headed for Fort Bragg,
one Mexican green paper package in purple rope
adorned with names for Nogales,
hundreds of radiators all at once for Eureka,
crates of Hawaiian underwear,
rolls of posters scattered over the Peninsula, nuts to
Sacramento,
one human eye for Napa,
an aluminum box of human blood for Stockton
and a little red package of teeth for Calistoga-
it was the racks and these on the racks I saw naked
in electric light the night before I quit,
the racks were created to hang our possessions, to keep
us together, a temporary shift in space,
God's only way of building the rickety structure of
Time,
to hold the bags to send on the roads, to carry our
luggage from place to place
looking for a bus to ride us back home to Eternity
where the heart was left and farewell tears
began.

IV

A swarm of baggage sitting by the counter as the trans-
continental bus pulls in.
The clock registering 12:15 A.M., May 9, 1956, the
second hand moving forward, red.
Getting ready to load my last bus.-Farewell, Walnut
Creek Richmond Vallejo Portland Pacific
Highway
Fleet-footed Quicksilver, God of transience.
One last package sits lone at midnight sticking up out
of the Coast rack high as the dusty fluorescent
light.

The wage they pay us is too low to live on. Tragedy
reduced to numbers.
This for the poor shepherds. I am a communist.
Farewell ye Greyhound where I suffered so much,
hurt my knee and scraped my hand and built
my pectoral muscles big as a vagina.

May 9, 1956

Editor 1 Interpretation

Ode to the Greyhound Baggage Room: A Literary Criticism of Allen Ginsberg's Poem

Introduction

Have you ever found yourself waiting at the baggage room of a Greyhound bus station, surrounded by the mundane hum of everyday life? Allen Ginsberg, one of the most influential poets of the Beat Generation, captures this experience in his poem "In The Baggage Room At Greyhound." In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language used in Ginsberg's poem to understand its significance in the canon of American poetry.

Analysis

The poem begins with a description of the speaker's surroundings - the "cement floor, / scratched-up windows, gum- / spotted bench" (lines 1-3). This mundane setting is contrasted with the speaker's internal thoughts, which are filled with "dreams of / Chinese gold, Italian / nightclubs" (lines 6-8). This contrast sets the tone for the poem, which explores the tension between the mundane and the extraordinary.

As the poem progresses, the speaker's thoughts become increasingly contemplative. He reflects on the transience of life, stating that "each moment passing / leaves behind it / a little substance" (lines 13-15). The use of the word "substance" is significant, as it suggests that even the smallest moments of life have weight and significance.

Ginsberg also uses vivid imagery to convey the speaker's emotions. For example, when the speaker is waiting for his luggage to arrive, he imagines that his suitcase is "singing / songs of its own life" (lines 19-20). This personification of the suitcase gives it agency and suggests that it has a life of its own, separate from the speaker's.

Throughout the poem, there is a sense of longing for something more. The speaker yearns for adventure and excitement, but is trapped in the mundane reality of the Greyhound bus station. This is exemplified in the line "I want to go / places and do things" (lines 36-37). The repetition of "places and do things" emphasizes the speaker's desire for action and adventure.

The poem ends with the speaker's luggage arriving, signaling the end of his wait. However, there is a sense of ambiguity in the final lines: "I took it and went / where I had to go" (lines 43-44). It is unclear where the speaker is going or what he will do next. This ambiguity leaves the reader with a sense of uncertainty, mirroring the speaker's own feelings of restlessness and longing.

Interpretation

Ginsberg's "In The Baggage Room At Greyhound" is a poem about the tension between the mundane and the extraordinary. The speaker is trapped in a dull, everyday reality, but his thoughts are filled with dreams of adventure and excitement. The poem explores the significance of even the smallest moments in life and suggests that they have weight and substance.

The use of vivid imagery and personification in the poem helps to convey the speaker's emotions and desires. The personification of the suitcase, for example, gives it agency and suggests that it has a life of its own, separate from the speaker's. This emphasizes the speaker's own desire for agency and adventure.

The ambiguity in the final lines of the poem leaves the reader with a sense of uncertainty, mirroring the speaker's own feelings of restlessness and longing. The poem suggests that even in the most mundane of settings, there is a yearning for something more, something greater than oneself.

Conclusion

Allen Ginsberg's "In The Baggage Room At Greyhound" is a powerful poem that explores the tension between the mundane and the extraordinary. Through vivid imagery and contemplative language, Ginsberg conveys the speaker's emotions and desires, emphasizing the significance of even the smallest moments in life. The poem leaves the reader with a sense of restlessness and longing, suggesting that even in the most ordinary of settings, there is a desire for something more.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

In The Baggage Room At Greyhound: A Poem of Transience and Connection

Allen Ginsberg's In The Baggage Room At Greyhound is a classic poem that captures the essence of transience and connection in a world where people are constantly on the move. The poem is a reflection of the author's own experiences as a traveler and a seeker of human connection in a world that is often cold and impersonal. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language used in the poem to understand its deeper meaning and significance.

The poem begins with the speaker describing the scene in the baggage room of a Greyhound bus station. The room is filled with people from all walks of life, each with their own stories and struggles. The speaker observes the people around him, noting their physical appearance and demeanor. He describes the "old Negroes" with their "battered suitcases" and "tired eyes," the "young soldiers" with their "clean white shirts" and "bright eyes," and the "Mexican boys" with their "shiny black hair" and "brown skin." The speaker's observations are not judgmental or critical, but rather empathetic and compassionate. He sees the humanity in each person and recognizes their struggles and hardships.

The imagery used in the poem is vivid and evocative. The speaker describes the "smell of gasoline" and the "dust of the road" that permeates the room. He also describes the "whistle of the wind" and the "rattle of the wheels" as the buses come and go. These sensory details create a sense of place and transport the reader to the baggage room of the Greyhound station. The imagery also serves to underscore the transience and impermanence of the people and their journeys. The smell of gasoline and the dust of the road are reminders that these people are on a journey, and that their time in the baggage room is temporary.

The language used in the poem is simple and direct, but also poetic and lyrical. The speaker uses repetition and alliteration to create a musical quality to the poem. For example, he repeats the phrase "in the baggage room" throughout the poem, emphasizing the setting and creating a sense of continuity. He also uses alliteration in phrases like "battered suitcases" and "shiny black hair," which create a sense of rhythm and flow. The language is also infused with a sense of longing and nostalgia. The speaker yearns for human connection in a world that is often cold and impersonal. He describes the people in the baggage room as "strangers" and "lonely," highlighting the isolation and disconnection that is so common in modern society.

The themes of transience and connection are central to the poem. The baggage room is a symbol of transience, a place where people come and go, and where their journeys intersect briefly before they continue on their separate paths. The people in the baggage room are all on a journey, whether it is a physical journey on a bus or a metaphorical journey through life. The speaker recognizes the impermanence of their presence in the baggage room, but also the potential for connection and empathy. He sees the common humanity in each person, and recognizes that they are all struggling in their own way.

The theme of connection is also central to the poem. The speaker yearns for human connection in a world that is often cold and impersonal. He recognizes that the people in the baggage room are all strangers, but he also sees the potential for connection and empathy. He describes the "young soldier" who "smiled at me as he passed," and the "old Negro" who "nodded his head in greeting." These small gestures of connection are significant, and they remind the speaker that even in a world that is often isolating and disheartening, there is still the potential for human connection and empathy.

In conclusion, In The Baggage Room At Greyhound is a classic poem that captures the essence of transience and connection in a world that is often cold and impersonal. The poem is a reflection of the author's own experiences as a traveler and a seeker of human connection. The themes, imagery, and language used in the poem all serve to underscore the impermanence of our journeys and the potential for connection and empathy in a world that is often isolating and disheartening. The poem is a reminder that even in the midst of our struggles and hardships, there is still the potential for human connection and empathy, and that these small gestures of connection can make all the difference in the world.

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