Summer Poem: “Jet” by Tony Hoagland

Tony Hoagland wrote a poem titled “Jet,” and it is an important poem. While it speaks to me, it is far more universal and discuss themes regarding aging and reflection. Hoagland’s poem is about being young, under the stars, and imbibing in the spirits of your youth. In this way, art is cathartic—even if it’s just warm nostalgia.

“Jet” by Tony Hoagland

Stanzas One-Three

In stanza one, Hoagland writes about hanging out on a back porch, consuming “jet fuel” with his friends. His description of alcohol is apt as most people can agree that the first sips of alcohol are bitter. This revelry is “with the boys, getting louder and louder / as the empty cans drop out of our paws / like booster rockets falling back to Earth.” Of course, the parallels between “jet fuel” and “booster rockets,” is clear. One feels as though they are lifting off into space as drunkenness sets into your minds.

In stanzas two and three, Hoagland continues the theme of letting go and festivity. He writes about heading into the “summer stars” under the dark sky. The stars, asteroids, and “space suits with skeletons inside” fly overhead. The people below continue their “hairiness” and through the “effervescence gush” of drinking.

Stanza Four-Five

In stanza four, Hoagland states that the night sets upon the merrymakers while “fireflies flash.” Those imbibing tell grand stories and “untrue tales of sex.” In a group of men drinking, the chest thumping sometimes gets overly loud.

The final stanza is the most profound. In reflecting on those younger days, we can identify perfectly thoughtful moments. These include lying on car hoods or out in dew-covered grass. In this way, we wonder about our place in the universe. As it is important, the final stanza of the poem is here in its entirety:

no one really hears. We gaze into the night
as if remembering the bright unbroken planet
we once came from,
to which we will never
be permitted to return.
We are amazed how hurt we are.
We would give anything for what we have.

While there is chest thumping and untrue tales of sex, there is a great admiration for the universe. The contrast between youthful exuberance, binge drinking, and existential considerations. In this social circles, there is a great admiration for who we are and where we are in galaxy. And now, in looking back, such evenings don’t last forever and thus have an importance. As Hoagland states, there are few who would exchange those early, alcohol-infused nights just before the sun rose and when night, and celebration, is at its fullest.