Kay+Ryan

by Jackie Manning Kay Ryan was born in San Jose, California on September 21, 1945. She attended the University of California where she got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English. Her poetry is characterized by her excessive use and focus of rhyme and philosophical thoughts.

This was the work of St. Sebolt, one of his miracles: he lit a fire with (5) icicles. He struck them like a steel to flint, did St. Sebolt. It makes sense (10) only at a certain body heat. How cold he had to get to learn that ice would (15) burn. How cold he had to stay. When he could feel his feet he had to (20) back away.
 * He Lit a Fire with Icicles **

Kay Ryan’s //He Lit a Fire with Icicles// may not be easy to interpret at first glance. After reading about who St. Sebolt is, it is much easier to discover what story is being told. St. Sebolt, or St Sebaldous, was a patron saint of Nuremberg and was characterized by his hermit like qualities, his sense of unworthiness, and his ability to perform miracles in disregard to his seclusion. With this knowledge it is obvious that Ryan is referencing his story in a relatable way to people who tend to be on the colder and harsher side that may be coming to a realization of how closed off they are but are too afraid of taking a chance and therefore have “to back away” (line 20). Ryan uses this ironic image of lighting ice on fire and striking them “like a steel to flint” (line 6-7) to reveal a theme having to do with restraint and being unable to do something. A man that is so used to and comfortable with being alone cannot easily come out of the shadows—he feels restrained and scared. Her use of short lines consisting of only a few words and also her use of punctuation, specifically periods, parallels the thoughts expressed in the poem- short and to the point. This gives purpose to each statement. For example, the two sentences that stand out the most to me are in lines 11 through 16, “How cold he had to get…how cold he had to stay.” These lines have a few things in common such as parallel structure, a defined ending signified by a period, and a general rhyme within them (learn and burn). The pause between and after these lines give a strong impact that captivates the reader and makes them wonder how such a cold and isolated heart can still be aflame.



Surfaces serve their own purposes, strive to remain constant (all lives (5) want that). There is a skin, not just on peaches but on oceans (note the telltale slough of foam on beaches). (10) Sometimes it’s loose, as in the case of cats: you feel how a second life slides under it. Sometimes it (15) fits. Take glass. Sometimes it outlasts its underside. Take reefs.
 * Surfaces **

The private lives of surfaces are innocent, not devious. (20) Take the one-dimensional belief of enamel in itself, the furious autonomy of luster (crush a pearl— it’s powder), the whole (25) curious seamlessness of how we’re each surrounded and what it doesn’t teach.

Kay Ryan’s //Surfaces// immediately intrigued me from when I first saw the title while looking for poems. The first thing I thought about when only looking at this one word was how we immediately are subject to a first impression of someone or something based on what we see on the surface. Ironically, this poem thoroughly appeals to that subject exactly. The first stanza provides several metaphors and examples for how everything gives off a certain exterior or “skin” (line 6), including things that are inanimate or lifeless like peaches and beaches. They are seen and categorized as being one thing solely based on surface appearance. The second stanza is when she starts getting into the theme of how surfaces seem to portray so much but they do not visually represent all of the life that goes on behind it. If you take away all the “luster (crush a pearl— it’s powder)” (line 23-24) of a person or other subject, and in this case a pearl, and focus on what is bound behind the façade, then you can finally understand it for all its worth. Ryan’s use of rhyme throughout this poem is subtle but evident and goes hand-in-hand with her use of enjambment in order to keep the reader intrigued. Her use of parallel structure, “Take glass…Take reefs…Take the one-dimensional...” (lines 15…17…20) emphasizes the examples she uses of how lifeless something seems on the outside with disregard to how much is really going on inside it and resolves to the point that surfaces provide examples of “how we’re each surrounded and what it doesn’t teach.” (line 26-27) We are “surrounded” by a “skin” or “enamel” that paints a picture of something that we want to reveal but does not elaborate on what is under the surface.

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The reason I used a clip from the movie __ Nemo __ is because I think this coral reef provides a perfect visual example for this poem because from the surface it just looks like a beautiful arrangement of plants and coral, but when you go further you discover all of the action and life that live within them.

As if engine parts could be wrenched out at random and (5) the car would still start and sound even, hearts can go with chambers (10) broken open.
 * Still Start **

This poem, unlike many of Ryan’s pieces, is much more obvious in theme. The comparison of a heart to an engine is one that may not be immediately obvious but is relatable in a way that similarly a car would not start without an engine and a person would not be alive without a heart. The central theme of this poem is heartbreak and how easily a heart can be broken but will continue working or “still start” as given by the title. “Hearts can go with chamber broken open” (line 8-10) is a line that focuses on the main point that a heart will continue on even if the person has been hurt in some way in which the protection or “chambers” surrounding the heart has been broken and the defenses are down. After a heart break it is easy for people to let their guard down (it is also easy for them to put it right back up). Ryan uses a metaphor extended over ten simple short lines in order to emphasize the simplicity in the point she is making. It’s a popular recurrence (heartbreak) in many people’s lives and is understandable and therefore does not needed to be thoroughly explained and overly obscure.

If we have not struggled as hard as we can at our strongest how will we sense (5) the shape of our loses or know what sustains us longest or name what change costs us saying how strange (10) it is that one sector of the self can step in for another in trouble how loss activates a latent double how (15) we can feed as upon nectar upon need?
 * Why We Must Struggle **

The message that is portrayed in this poem specifically meant a lot to me. I have always been a person that has felt as though, the way we mature is through the sum of our experiences both good and especially bad. The central theme of the poem covers not only the necessity of struggling in learning how to recover and discovering what makes us happy or “sustains us” (6) but it also mentions how strange it is that our minds and bodies are able to find ways with coping when in tough situations. There is always one aspect of ourselves that shines through when we are in hardship which Ryan mentions when she says “that one sector of the self can step in for another in trouble” (10-13). Ryan uses rhyme and enjambment throughout this poem to create a natural flow that is unavoidable throughout the poem. The assonance rhyme that is present in the poem effectively emphasizes the major points that Ryan is trying to convey. For example, the words and/or phrases “loses”, “longest”, and “costs us” all have the same vowel sound that creates a rhyme that is not obvious until it is read aloud. The main thing that these words have in common is that they are the ends to statements made about the main theme and title of the poem which is why we must struggle. The strategic use of assonance will leave a large impact on the audience and may even influence the reader to re-read that part of the poem which emphasizes the importance of struggling and, essentially, not giving up. This poem has an overall positive message that is admirable and something that everyone can take and learn from. It encourages people to have a less pessimistic and more optimistic outlook on an unnerving situation, regardless of what that is.



=Works Cited:= __for all pictures:__

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__for all poems:__

"Kay Ryan." Poetry Foundation. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. . All poems found under the tab "Poems, Articles, & More"

__for bio:__

"Kay Ryan." Poetry Foundation. 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. 