Tethered By Trisa Suhrr

Tethered Analysis “Tethered” by Trisha Suhr, published in 2013 Voices Literary and Visual Arts Magazine Volume 36. When initially reading this written work it can be easily assumed that this is simply a poem about wanting to travel as you please. Written in a first person point of view, the author takes the reader through a series of emotional highs and lows while speaking of the need to walk down “the road.” Suhr seems to be setting a tone of being trapped and regretting an opportunity not taken. This analysis will be exploring why “the road” symbolizes freedom and why not traveling this road leaves one feeling trapped with no hope for escape. Suhr quickly sets the theme of her work in the human condition when in the first stanza she writes:
“the road. It stirs my blood, calls to me as it has so many before.” The poem begins with the idea that as humans we seem to always be in need of adventures and new questions to answer, which is clearly evident when again in the first stanza those that were called before are referred to as “The explorers. The adventurers. The restless wanderers”, all travelers on the road. But why does the road cause such a stirring in these “restless wanderers” blood? The road seems to be symbolic of freedom and escape. The idea that there is an option the continue traveling or stop at any given moment. To be able to make a right or a left onto a new path as the urge to do so comes into existence. The choice is completely in the hands of the traveler. In the second stanza there is an obvious nod towards the human need to ask questions and the urge to go and seek out the answers to those questions.
“My eyes stray to the horizon. My mind sharpens with curiosity, wondering what lies beyond” this statement does not really leave much room for multiple interpretations. The person sees a distant place that they have not been to and that sparks the need to go and explore. Why is there a need to answer? Why is our curiosity so dear to us? This poem makes a small but what seems to be a very direct comparison of sharpening the mind using curiosity much in same way that you would sharpen a knife with a whetstone. By never stopping asking questions we remain curious and that curiosity lends us to answer which in turn lends to more questions. This never ending cycle keeps the mind “sharp”, which we often associate with being
intelligent. The idea of being trapped is no doubt what most readers will take away from this poem.
In the third stanza Suhr uses a great amount of imagery and symbolism to create the tone of being “tethered” in this work. With statements such as: “I strain against the things that hold me here” and refers to those “things” as being responsibilities, commitments, and even love. She also uses imagery like: “coiling its tendrils around my ankles...”, and” rooting me in place” to paint a picture of being held in a single spot, unable to move. Why would responsibility, commitment, and love be seen as a restrain and almost negative force? Since this poem was written within the last few years, we can look at the views of the current culture for answers. Many of this current young adult generation are continuously wired into the internet world. Its in that world that some seek escape using virtual games and stories, while at the same time feeling the need to constantly check and update their Facebook status. If you ask some of these people if they are tired of always keeping others informed and staying informed, they would give some form of yes in response. But at the same time there is a dread that is they do not then their whole life will fall apart. I believe this is part of what Suhr is trying to express through her
words. In the fourth and last stanza, Suhr imbues her message with a since of regret. She speaks of a “dream” where in: “I feel the wind urging me to join its mad rush across the world” gives the reader a beautiful image of being carried along by the wind and acheing to follow. But then she writes : “But my always-error: I look back, and the wind leaves me behind”, which leads to the feeling of regret. What is it that causes this person to look back and why is there regret from this “always-error” of looking back? From previous sections in Suhr’s work, it is pointed towards responsibilities, commitments, and love as being the things that hold this person back. So I would say that it is those very ideas of life that cause the “error” of looking back at our lives. This leaves some feeling a since of loss or regret and of being left behind. This is an excellent piece, being both hopeful and regretful in the pursuit of the freedom of the open road of live. Suhr has a good rounded grasp on the human condition and does a wonderful job of leading the read down the path of the dreamer and the prisoner. I would recommend that everyone read “Tethered” and any other works of literature that Trisha Suhr has written or will write.