Tomorrow By Dennis O Frediscoll

Dennis O’Driscoll’s poem, “Tomorrow” takes its reader through stages of optimism, jealousy, and pessimism within its three parts. While each part of the poem is different and has its own theme, it can be found that they tie together in the end. In the poem “Tomorrow”, we are taken through the stages of optimism for a better life, jealousy for those who already seem to have it, then pessimism for believing the future will bring anything new.

Part one of O’Driscoll’s “Tomorrow”, labelled “I”, brings the reader visions of hope and optimism. The beginning of the poem reads, “Tomorrow I will start to be happy.” (O’Driscoll, 2004 I. 11-12) a statement that the narrator believes is true. In the final line of “I”, “today is almost yesterday” the
narrator has no rush to make ‘today’ the beginning of his happiness, instead, “Today will end the worst phase of my life” he is hopeful that this part of his life will end as the day will.
O’Driscoll’s use of metaphors and imagery in “I” of “Tomorrow” can represent celebration and hope for the future. “The morning will light up like a celebratory cigar.” (O’Driscoll, 2004 I. 11-12) it is said the best time to enjoy a celebratory cigar includes, weddings, when a baby is born, or on New Years/New Years Eve (Manelski, 2017), which all mark the beginning of something, just as O’Driscoll’s poem is beginning his happiness on the new day. Cigars are also known for being used after a dinner, marking the end of something, comparative to the narrator putting “my shapeless days behind me,” (O’Driscoll, 2004 I. 11-12). The celebratory notion is continues in the next line, comparing the sun shining on dew drops in the morning to sparkling champagne, which is also considers something had when celebrating the beginning of something new. In O’Driscoll’s second stanza in part I of “Tomorrow”, the narrator is “fencing off the past,” his past is described as “slipshod sea foam”, as though he had no organisation, no firm grip on anything in the water.
The fence the narrator is referring to in this stanza is the metaphorical sand between his careless, erratic waves and his future that is solid land, a place for him find his footing in the world. “Tomorrow” that the narrator is confident with his future happiness. O’Driscoll said in an interview with Isabelle Cartwright, “on one hand fatalism keeps me in the job, on the other hand there is a side to me [that is hopeful], that always thinks something will actually save me.” (O’Driscoll and Cartwright, 2013) the beginning of the poem brings out O’Driscoll’s optimistic beliefs. “I” shows readers a hope for the future that is still
unknown.

In the second part to O’Driscoll’s poem, “Tomorrow”, the narrator sounds jealous of Australia, but only for it’s time zone. Beginning II off, O’Driscoll writes “Australia, how wise you are to get the day over and done with first,” Canberra is 10 hours ahead of Ireland, so as our day comes to an end, theirs is only beginning. “Australia, you can gather in your accident statistics / while our roads still have hours to kill.” here O’Driscoll is again, playing with the time difference between Australia and Ireland, jealous of how much more time there seems to be for the roads of Ireland to kill its people. The narrator is jealous that Australia’s tomorrow has already begun and they have been able to start anew, while he is stuck in the ‘past’, as Australia moves into the idea of a happier tomorrow, “When we are in the dark, you have sagely seen the light.” (O’Driscoll, 2004 II. 11-12). The narrator also refers to Australia’s intellect, seemingly being jealous of its progression not only in time but also of its intelligence. While O’Driscoll begins II with referring to how ‘wise’ Australia is, it follows with, “[Australia] have eaten the fruit of knowledge, while we are dithering about which main course to choose.” O’Driscoll in this line, can be referring to the idea that while he is stuck on trivial things, like what he will eat, it seems others have moved on already to making more important decisions. In the last line of the stanza, the narrator states that Australia has “sagely seen the light.” while we have gotten the new morning before him, we have also seen it with wisdom. In part two of O’Driscoll’s poem, he creates a jealousy that would come out of part one’s optimism, an eagerness for the ‘tomorrow’ to start now.

The final part of O’Driscoll’s “Tomorrow”, “III”, is laced with pessimism that contradicts the first two parts of the poem, and also mocks the idea of believing in a future we know nothing about. “Cagily, presumptuously, I dare write to 2018.” (O’Driscoll, 2004 III. 11-12) while he is wary in his writing, he contradicts that by then being presumptive. 2018 was describe as being full of potential, “a date without character or tone / without interest rates or mean daily temperatures” (O’Driscoll, 2004 III. 11-12), the first stanza of “III” is giving the narrator a clean slate.
However, for him it is 19 years in the future, as it presents a new time with nothing in it yet, it is also setting him up to fail as it is so far away which he understands as his second stanza begins “much too far off for prophecy”.
The narrator doesn't believe it will be a better year, “a so-so year most likely” (O’Driscoll, 2004 III. 11-12), he believes it will be much like others and failing to bring anything new with its “end-of-season sales” even when the season is yet to begin. In “Tomorrow”, this final stanza pessimistically believes there may not be anything new anymore (Murphy, 2001. 281). “III” shows readers that even 20 years in the future, the world will still most likely bring the same things it does
currently.

Dennis O’Driscoll’s poem, “Tomorrow” brings its readers to a full circle. It shows readers regret for the past, hope for the future, jealous of someone else’s present, then regret for believing in a better future. The narrator is left where he began, with regret for his past. “Tomorrow” shows that hope and jealousy are not worthwhile, as you may not be brought anything new.

References

Manelski, Gary. 2017. “The Top Occasions for Smoking Cigars.” ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-occasions-for-smoking-cigars-719671

Murphy, Bruce F. 2001. “Verse Versus Poetry.” 177, no. 3 (January): 279-286

O’Driscoll, Dennis, and Isabelle Cartwright. 2013. “Interview With Dennis
O’Driscoll.” The Poetry Ireland Review. No.110 (August): 22-3

O’Driscoll, Dennis. 2004. “Tomorrow.” Weather Collection. London, UK: Anvil Press Poetry.