Mexico
A driving force in many peoples lives are their dreams. Not the dreams we have in the middle of the night, but our every day hopes and dreams that direct our lives. Successes we need to make guide us and journey's we have not yet taken lure us. The prospect that one can make a fresh start in life works hand in hand with this concept. In some cases our dreams provide a needed escape from the day to day existence we all know so well. Richard Shelton writes of just such escape in his 1978 poem "Mexico" The subject of the poem takes this escape regularly, "once a year"(line1). Every April, the male persona of the poem is drawn powerfully to the south. After researching Shelton I learned that he loved the southwest and Mexico, and traveled extensively throughout both areas. With that information I am convinced that the voice of the poem is his own. This draw is not light or passing, in fact, "it hits like a shovel". The effects are nearly intoxicating, enveloping all of the senses. He is "stunned into believing anything is possible"(line6,7). Just as it is sure that a new day will dawn, the answer to happiness for this man lies south of the border. This draw is sparked merely by looking at the sky. The guiding light for
This is a never-ending journey for him. the journey is symbolized by the constellation of Scorpio. He needs to head out on a spiritual journey away from the refinement of the lifestyle he deals with day to day. He appears to be muddling through his existence just treading water. Mexico for Shelton is like Camelot for others. This line speaks of the loneliness that he feels in his life. He is drawn to the pastel adobe villages, dirt streets, dust, different language and the blue seas of warmer climates. "I never find what I am looking for and each time I return older with my ugliness intact"(line 29-31). He sees this as one of his last chances in the search for the happiness he yearns for. It can be said that the mere action of following a dream, no matter whether we know what the outcome of that will be or not, has the ability of transforming our minds. The answers to his problems could be right in front of him, if so, he would never find them. It appears that all of the natural creature's "birds of passage" are heading to opposite direction, away from his final destination. He makes light of the refinement of the classical music which obviously plays some role in his life. He fell in love with the southwest and its nuances.
Common topics in this essay:
Richard Shelton,
East Coast,
Shelton Camelot,
,
John Vandyke,
day day,
love desert,
grows life,
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