Something I noticed and really liked about this poem is how it transitions from light and colorful to dark with this one line “flip this white frieze black, it now is night”. In the first half of the poem, it mentions colors and the color white, while the second half mentions night and fireworks (which can only occur and be enjoyed during nighttime, where it’s dark).
This poem, like many others, uses imagery and metaphors to get its point across. While Thúy does use imagery and metaphors, she also uses sensory details and her lines are leaning towards being commands for the reader. Every line/stanza was a different command and while they might seem misaligned or unrelated with each other, the subject of water is being brought up at least three times. It was used at the beginning, middle (sort of), and end. This was Thúy’s intent, to call back to immigrants crossing the water in order to move to new opportunities.
