"Voyager
We've packed our bags, we're set to fly A
no one knows where, the maps won't do. B
We're crossing the ocean's nihilistic blue B
with an unborn infant's opal eye. A
It has the clarity of earth and sky A
seen from a spacecraft, once removed, C
as through an amniotic lens, that groove- C
lessness of space, the last star by. A
We have set out to live and die A
into the interstices of a new B
nowhere to be or be returning to B
(a little like an infant's airborne cry). A
We've set our sights on nothing left to lose D(B?)
and made of loss itself a lullaby. A
Citation: Hearon, Todd. "Voyager." Poetry Foundation. Web.
The poem's rhyme scheme loosely resembles the Petrarchan sonnet, and is fairly simple in structure. The repetition of the A ending (long "i" sound) in each stanza of the poem creates a certain unity throughout the poem by linking each stanza to the next. The beginning and ending lines both have the A ending, which creates a sense of unity but also finality or resolution. The first line introduces flight, and in doing so evokes all of the nervousness and uncertainty associated with flying by plane and with fleeing from familiarity and comfort. The last line starkly contrasts this sense of anxiety or uncertainty with the word lullaby, which is heavily associated with comfort, warmth, and safety. The fact that fly and lullaby rhyme draws the reader's attention to the fact that the beginning and ending lines reference completely opposing ideas: nervousness and comfort. Such contrast quickly signals to the listener that the speaker is trying to say something about travel, comfort, and infancy.
After giving it a little thought, it becomes clear that the speaker is describing a trip taken for some unfortunate reason, not a trip taken out of whimsy or executed with cheerfulness. It could be that the "loss" mentioned in the last line references some literal loss such as the loss of a job, home, or wealth; or the death of a loved one. Or perhaps the loss simply references the loss of comfort associated with leaving home, and the trip is taken by a jaded individual who intends to flee a weary lifestyle. In any case, it seems likely that the trip is taken for the sole purpose of escapism. The speaker is attempting to permanently abandon their life and revert their mindset to that of a fetus or infant, possibly because they wish to flee the life and responsibilities of adulthood in general or lacked comfort in their former life. The last line suggests that traveling creates a new sense of comfort for the traveler, the kind of comfort experienced by someone who has nothing left and therefore cannot lose anything. So, perhaps the voyage is a healing experience of sorts, a journey that allows the traveler to escape one unfavorable place or situation, see the world in a new light, and then begin an entirely new life (hence the references to infancy and fetuses) comforted by a lack of attachments to their former life.
The second to last line ends in the word lose which sticks out like a sore thumb among the rest of the poem's fairly obvious instances of end rhyme. It may be a slant rhyme with the double long oo sound of the B lines, but still it seems alien enough surrounded by other instances of end rhyme that it draws attention and emphasis to the word "lose," and signals to the reader that loss might be the most significant subject of the poem. Perhaps the speaker is suggesting that the loss of one thing is necessary to gain another. For instance, the speaker leaves home and familiar comforts to seek out new experiences.
In general rhyme was used in this poem, as in others, to draw emphasis to specific words or concepts, and reveal connections between two or more ideas or events within the poem. The use of rhyme not only creates a more lyrical poem, but can also create rhythm, organization and emphasis.
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