The Bagel
David Ignatow
I stopped to pick up the bagel
rolling away in the wind,
annoyed with myself
for having dropped it
as if it were a portent.
Faster and faster it rolled,
with me running after it
bent low, gritting my teeth,
and I found myself doubled over
and rolling down the street
head over heels, one complete somersault
after another like a bagel
and strangely happy with myself.
David Ignatow
I stopped to pick up the bagel
rolling away in the wind,
annoyed with myself
for having dropped it
as if it were a portent.
Faster and faster it rolled,
with me running after it
bent low, gritting my teeth,
and I found myself doubled over
and rolling down the street
head over heels, one complete somersault
after another like a bagel
and strangely happy with myself.
Analysis of this Poem:
This poem describes a time when the author, David Ignatow, dropped his bagel on the street. The bagel rolls away, and he chases after it, all the while making a complete fool of himself. He realizes by the end that it was fun to chase the bagel, he was happy.
In my opinion, the speaker seems like the type of person that finds joy in everyday life. Something very sad, or annoying could happen to him, yet he would still laugh at it and make it fun. If someone drops a bagel on the street and has to chase after it, most poeople would be frustrated and very agitated. This man however, wasn't.
"...and strangely happy with myself," said the speaker. He didn't let a little mishap ruin his day.
I think the diction, or word choice, was very unique. From the words, you can really see the scene. I pictured the man dropping a bagel, chasing it as it rolled away, catching the bagel, then laughing at it. I had a very clear image of the scenerio. The poem almost reminds me of a movie i've seen, i forget the name. The main character trys to impress a girl by tipping his hat to her. It was a very windy day, so his hat blew away. He chased after it and ran. He finally caught up to it, and laughed a lot.
I think that the meaning of the poem is this; don't let life slip away through your fingers. Sometimes, life can get hard, and it's easy to let it go. But, when you hold onto it, life gets better. In this begining of the poem, the speaker was annoyed at dropping the bagel. By the end, he realized it wasn't that big of a deal. He didn;t lety the hard times ruin his life, he fought through it.
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