Junk review

Junk review

            Tommy Pico added a third collection to his book-length poems by coming up with the “Junk” in 2018. The title of the poem is, to some extent, metaphoric and symbolic. Junk literary refers to items, or rather things that have fallen out of favor in the sense of utility. Pico tries to answer the question of whether there are peace and pride in falling out of favor as junk does. Growing up in the Viejas Indian reserve of Kumeyaay, Pico has a clear idea of what it means to exist as junk. The length of Pico’s works, as well as the vitality associated with each work, presents a unique representation of what other poets have shunned from addressing. The speaker in Pico’s “Junk” is presented as an egocentric character who does not show concern on the idea of a movie theatre and portrays a movie theatre is a place for eating junk food and making out without a specific function.

“Junk” is written in a casual but intimate tone that introduces the reader into expecting the more profound message contained in the piece. The introduction to the movie theatre creates a unique environment within which the narrator wants to share his message with the reader. The narrator creates a feeling in the reader’s mind similar to that of receiving a long text message from a friend narrating about an illicit or even an exhilarating experience on a night out. Besides, the narrator allows the audience to feel as being part of the feeling created in the poem, so that the entire experience involves both the writer and the audience’s opinions. The tone is used to explain the full acceptance of junk food as an escape path for spiritual responsibilities such as fasting. Moreover, Pico’s work reminds the readers of other midcentury poets were achieved outstanding success in the poetry field.

Tommy Pico achieves a comparison with established poets despite only having three works to his name. Pico uses a midcentury poet Frank O’Hara’s poem as a precursor for a more significant part of his “Junk” poem. The lines borrowed from O’Hara’s work give Pico a win in terms of popularity. For example, Pico uses lines that are similar to ones obtained from “Ave Maria” by O’Hara. The lines request American mothers to allow their children to go to the movies. O’Hara had created a similar image for the movie theatres as the one later created by Pico. All kinds of junk are expected in the movies, such as junk food, transgression, and other activities that do not hold a respectable position in the life of decency. Generally, Pico creates an imaginary situation where the movie theatres are associated with the availability of darkness to support all types of junk that would not be acceptable in a lighted public place. Moreover, “Junk” is founded around several themes that are developed from the metaphorical title, junk.

The themes in “Junk” are developed around the metaphoric topic and are strategically developed in a casual but serious tone. The theme of unease, for example, is developed around the fact that junk does not hold a position of respect and lives in a state of unease for fear of being forsaken. The general definition of junk revolves around explaining something that is no longer favored or beneficial. In terms of food, junk is viewed as less preferred food that is associated with more harm than the required nutrition value. The theme of unease is developed in the poem, and Pico generalizes to use bodily unease. He says, “…get out of bed Another black man shot by police… Another missing woman in Indian country… another trans person discovered by the roadside… another mass shooting…” to show the seriousness of the junk issue. Pico leads the audience into questioning the state of the US on whether the Americans are responsible for developing junk, or the country is just made up of junk. The unease that grows due to the acceptance of junk is alarming, and Pico presents the situation casually, without creating unnecessary tension. Moreover, Pico employs junk as a motif to pass the message of value and the feeling of belonging in a forsaken class.

The childhood of Pico can be attributed to his attitude towards junk. According to Pico, junk is valueless and is always awaiting uncertain disposal. The use of the term junk repetitively insists on the message that Pico aspires to pass across. The first representation is done where junk is associated with unpopular food that is consumed by people who do not pay attention to their health. Also, junk is numerously used to represent genitalia in the poem, and the representation is not decent by any means. Generally, junk is referred to as something that is awaiting a decision, a store, or even memories, which can be compared to old poetry. Pico says, “[something that] waiting for a decision… like the last call.” Generally, Pico admits that junk is valueless but is present in large amounts in the environment where other valued aspects exist.          Moreover, “Junk” can be viewed as a love story that develops uniquely after a breakup, and the victims do not accept the consequences of having fallen in love in the first place.

“Junk” represents a breakup between ex-lovers, although the poem intentionally ignores the details that a breakup poem is expected to have. The relationship between Teebs and an unnamed man brings together the idea of a breakup, and the poem barely expresses the vignettes and digressions in the story linearly. First, a breakup poem is expected to provide details of the relationship, such as the time that the individuals have been dating. However, Pico chooses to leave the length of the relationship period at the discretion of the audience. The explanation given further complicates the attempt to guess the period that the couple stayed in the relationship. Teebs admits to not know of the exact period that the relationship has remained active: “Sometimes we were together for six weeks Sometimes… eight months. Sometimes, I don’t know yet.” Furthermore, Pico deviates from discussing the details of the breakup and instead focuses on likening the breakup as one of the junks that exist in everyday life. Moreover, the combination of the three primary metaphors of food, sex, and minority groups is crucial in the development of the poem.

Pico uses the presentation of junk in three metaphoric forms to represent sex, food, and the minority. The representation of food is in terms of Chili Cheese Fritos and the movie candy, while sex is portrayed when Pico used junk to represent genitalia. The interpretation would be that the genitalia is only valuable as long as their owners have an activity with them. Furthermore, Pico uses the junk metaphor to represent his experience living as an Indian in America. Native Americans have a way of treating minorities like junk. Generally, one of the unluckiest ideas in America is to be a member of the minority groups. The injustices and other mistreatments associated with being a member of a minority group in America come out clearly to justify the idea of being treated as junk. The members of minority groups in America are not valued and only live waiting for a decision that would either make or destroy their future in the country. Moreover, “Junk” is a unique poem that is not limited by the expectations of modern poetry.

Poetry in 2018 is expected to be formed according to a particular pattern, and couplets are not expected in modern poetry. However, the various regulations tend to limit poets from freely passing their information for the fear that their poems will be criticized for not following the laid down procedures. Pico, however, uses couplets, which do rhyme and are unmetered. Enjambment is a common feature in the poem, and most of the lines in “Junk” are not end-stopped. Generally, syntactical units are expected to end where the lines of a poet end, but that is not the case with Pico’s “Junk.” The units overlap, and the lines run over the structure that is set by the couplets.  By failing to adhere to the expectations, Pico creates a work that is similar to that of Ammon’s “Garbage,” hence improving his uniqueness in the era of modern poetry. Moreover, Pico comes up as a hilarious poet who uses a casual tone to express a more serious issue.

“Junk,” like the other works by Pico, presents him as a hilarious poet who creates humor by using casual tone to pass a rather serious idea. For example, the method in which Pico addresses the issue of discrimination in America is hilarious but reaches the intended target. Furthermore, the message would be ignored if they read adjudged in advance that Pico was criticizing the treatment of minority groups in America. Besides, the uniqueness in Pico’s work helps him to come up with a poem that lives in the present by borrowing from ideas that have lived long past 2018. The message and presentation of “Junk” present a piece of modern poetry, while the use of couplets creates a memory of the past.

In sum, the speaker in Pico’s “Junk” is presented as an egocentric character who does not show concern on the idea of a movie theatre and portrays a movie theatre is a place for eating junk food and making out without a specific function. “Junk” is written in a casual but intimate tone that introduces the reader into expecting the deeper message contained in the piece. “Junk,” like the other works by Pico, presents him as a hilarious poet who creates humor by using casual tone to pass a rather serious idea. The method in which Pico addresses the issue of discrimination in America is hilarious but reaches the intended target. Generally, the message and presentation of “Junk” present a piece of modern poetry, while the use of couplets creates a memory of the past.

Works Cited

Pico, Tommy. Junk. Tin House Books, 2018.