Nineteen

Alexander’s narrative poem is written in a contemporary idiom and style. Divided in three stanzas, the poem does not follow regular rhyme or meter. The stanzas are nearly equal in length, comprising eight to nine lines each. The line lengths are similar throughout the poem, which gives it a structural regularity. However, the regularity is broken up by Alexander’s use of enjambment, when sentences run into the next line. An example of this would be, “I snuck around with an older man who didn’t tell me / he was married” (Lines 3-4). Another instance occurs in Lines 10-12, when the speaker describes her lover thus: “His eyes were black. “The ladies love my / hair,” / he’d say.” Line 11, containing only the word “hair,” is the shortest line in the poem by far. Enjambment creates a syncopated beat and narrative tension.

The poet uses repetition to create a sense of rhythm, as well as to illustrate key themes. For instance, the word “white” crops up throughout the poem, most notably in the first few lines: “[A]ll there was to eat was white: / cauliflower, flounder, white sauce, white ice cream” (Lines 1-2).