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In his five-line poem, “Returning Home,” John Ciardi depicts in as few words as possible the instant in which one realizes how it is that one might be happy. In a mere two sentences, the poem not only observes happiness but addresses one’s desire for it, discovers the path to it and realizes that perhaps one might already be happy if not at least capable of being so. A poet’s dilemma and darling commitment is to say as much as possible in as little space as possible- in Ciardi’s case this is especially true. He allows himself only twenty-two syllables to say what many people spend entire lifetimes trying to articulate. As a writer he must trust a use of space nearly as much as use of language.
In terms of said language, Ciardi’s is very plain. It flows easily as one line of text and is not distracting or sing-song. The work itself has very little time to develop as a narrative, so instead it is used as more of a directive, as a statement through which the reader may see themselves or the world or those they love in new light – and thus the beauty of carefully chosen words. For Ciardi it provides a great deal more flexibility then iambic pentameter or rhyming couplets might have. The hard “I” sound in “admired” and “I” as well as the hard “a” sound in “they” and “made” are repeated internal vowels that contribute to the smoothness of the poem as a whole.
What makes the theme of the poem particularly clear is the use of the words “happy” and “happiness.” This repetition both supports and makes sense of the established meter (or lack thereof). To commit to a single word or version of a word more than once in a poem that is only seventeen words long must be paid very close attention. What gives this theme purpose is in fact its technical structure. The five lines are broken down individually into either five or four line syllables. This evenness gives the poem an almost box-like aesthetic. Boxes are consistent. They have exact, equal dimensions. They are stable. There are rules about boxes, about squares, about cubes that will never, ever change. Happiness is the same way. There will always be a sense of security in ideas that are recognized as universal; ideas like boxes and happiness and the exact dimensions of those things. Consistencies like these feel safe; this poem is consistent – precise. Equal. Not particularly difficult to navigate, wonderful to rely on.
I imagine that the reader is either the speaker of the poem or the speaker’s observer. The mood, created by the simplicity of the poem itself, is a very genuine calmness. It is as if the speaker is wholly convicted of what they are saying of another person and at the same time quietly, smilingly realizes something for him or herself. The “you” in this poem is not actually you or I, but rather a person the speaker is observing; a person the speaker knows very well or loves very much. The love, however, and the observing is being done from a disjointed state, from a point of watching rather than acting. The title of this poem, “Returning Home,” is that way for an imperative reason: in their observing, the speaker is taken “home;” to the familiar, to some memory or mindset having to do with that “you” who makes them feel so safe and comforted and familiarized.
In short, Ciardi had taken two simple, or seemingly simple, sentences. He has broken them into nearly equal lines of four to five syllables, using unassuming word choice and sensitive structure. Through this carefully executed and approach to writing, a poem of intense consistency is born; consistency that feels safe, familiar – like learning, finally, of happiness, whether it be yours or someone else’s.