Euphoria: Poetry and Mother

What Else Can Matter When You Already Have Euphoria? Major Jackson’s poem “Euphoria”, takes place in the seat of his mother’s Benz when she is inside a house getting high on drugs. The poem describes an afternoon after school where he waits in the car with his mother’s groceries, listens to music, and involves himself in his own euphoria. The poem reflects a life teaching topic about what is important in life and what brings happiness to our lives. It shows a tone that offers a sense of sadness, and it presents, in well written language, that shows us the economic and social status of this teenage boy. The first stanza opens the poem to the setting and exactly what is going on with this mother and son. The poem holds nothing back from the reader with the line, “While she smokes a few white pebbles” (6) which implies that his mother is smoking cocaine and does this with his knowledge, in the moment. It suggests that his mother doesn’t care too much if he is aware and even if she gets him involved in her addiction. “Late winter, sky darkening after school” (1) tells the reader that the teen is educated and his mother even goes and picks him up. The poem also includes that there are “groceries bought from Shop- Mart” and that she drives a Mercedes (2-4) which is another sign that the family has some values like home making and that the family also has money. Lastly, the first stanza will tell the reader where the mother goes to get high and what the building looks like, and it seems to not match the environment that he may be familiar with, but at the same time he knows where he is because he casually mentions the street name “parked on Diamond” (3) as though we should also be familiar with it. The last line “At the house crumbling” (7) suggests that the neighborhood is not kept up and likely does not match a description in which you might fit a Mercedes into. The second stanza of the poem is about the teen boy and what he will do, while his mother is

Cited: Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz. "Euphoria." Literature The Human Experience. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St Martins, 2007. 156-57. Print.