“Scarlet” by Sherman Alexie
The barista’s acne is torrential-
A perfect storm. Whatever potential
She has for beauty has been obscured
By the open wounds that resemble burns.
And yet, as I look closer, I can see
This young woman is quite pretty
Behind her mask. Her eyes are turquoise,
Not some common blue, and her alto voice
Belongs onstage or in the studio.
She makes my coffee and I want to know
Why, in this new age of dermatology,
She suffers this morbid case of acne.
Hasn’t she seen the infomercials about creams
And soaps that will make any face clean?
Where doctors and rock stars share laughter
At photos of the before and after,
And if you want the cure, call this number?
This scarred woman forces me to remember
That my skin was nearly as pocketed and razed.
I once counted forty-four zits on my face,
But I was poor and health care was shitty.
I didn’t live in a first-world city,
So why does this woman look like this?
She’s uninsured and untreated, I guess,
Like so many others, but her poverty
Has brutally tattooed her. I’m sorry,
But there’s nothing comforting I can say
To a Hester painted with a different “A.”
But, hell, maybe this woman would just scorn
My pretentious allusion to Hawthorne.
She might be an everyday sort of brave,
Someone with no wish or need to be saved,
Examined, and pitied by the likes of me,
A poet who pays, over-tips, and flees.
But then I pause at the door and look back
To see the woman use a fingernail to attack
Her skin. She digs and digs at what wounds her,
Seeking clarity, but nothing will soothe her.
Estranged from the tribe that offers protection,
What happens to the soul that hates its reflection?
Out of all of Sherman Alexie’s poems this one really stuck out to me. At some point in their life everyone experiences the awful years of being a preteen and teenager. This poem is very relatable because many people have experienced acne and knows what it is like to have their faces covered. What most don’t have to experience though is for this feeling to never go away. To be plagued by something as simple as acne everyday is not something most people would imagine to be an issue or even consider. In reality through this poem we can see how this acne plagues this woman’s life on a consistent basis and her true feelings towards it.
I think Alexie also had a deeper meaning in mind when construing this poem. He wanted to show how society and people perceive those around them. They often see the physical features of someone and cannot look past those faults. Everyone has their own “A” that has an effect on their life every day. In some cases many people’s “A’s” are very small and unnoticeable by a majority. In this case this woman’s faults are not something that can be ignored. People are drawn to her fault like bugs to a light. This is not necessarily the fault of those around her, but simply human nature. We seek to find the faults in other people whether they be internal or external.
My favorite line in this poem is, “But, hell, maybe this woman would just scorn/ My pretentious allusion to Hawthorne.” I think this quote is very clever and relatable to many people. First I find it very interesting how Alexie alludes to The Scarlet Letter and Hawthorne. He doesn’t do this just in this line, but does it very subtly in the title. The title, “Scarlet,” has two meanings behind it. One person may decipher the title as referring to this woman’s acne and how her face is turned scarlet from it all. On the other hand, which after reading the poem I think about more, is how Alexie is again alluding to Hawthorne. I think this is a very clever idea for the poem and creates a deeper sense of thinking in the reader.
It is not just a clever allusion though. It also speaks to a bigger picture in my opinion. He discusses how it is only fair for him to assume that she may not care about her faults and simply live with them. To do this is much harder said than done because as humans we are constantly being judged by our peers whether or not we want to be. To have the strength to ignore the judgment of another is very challenging and most people in the world are unable to do it. Also, the world would be a much better place if more people thought the way Alexie does. If they look at someone and find that even with faults they are happy then who are we to judge? If this was a consistent thought throughout the world then people would never have a fear of being judged and we would all lose our “A’s.”
This poem does not contain very many poetic techniques besides a small rhyme scheme throughout the poem. This scheme is not very consistent or obvious. This follows Alexie’s common trend in his poetry. He writes very simplistically so that a larger audience can enjoy and understand his poetry. Many of his poems also relate to an audience of common people. He discusses many issues that are occurrences in everyday life and in order to appeal to the largest audience he must write in simplistic terms. As I have said before I think this makes his poetry stronger. It doesn’t make you fight and guess to understand the meaning behind the poem. It is clear cut and understood by a large audience.
The barista’s acne is torrential-
A perfect storm. Whatever potential
She has for beauty has been obscured
By the open wounds that resemble burns.
And yet, as I look closer, I can see
This young woman is quite pretty
Behind her mask. Her eyes are turquoise,
Not some common blue, and her alto voice
Belongs onstage or in the studio.
She makes my coffee and I want to know
Why, in this new age of dermatology,
She suffers this morbid case of acne.
Hasn’t she seen the infomercials about creams
And soaps that will make any face clean?
Where doctors and rock stars share laughter
At photos of the before and after,
And if you want the cure, call this number?
This scarred woman forces me to remember
That my skin was nearly as pocketed and razed.
I once counted forty-four zits on my face,
But I was poor and health care was shitty.
I didn’t live in a first-world city,
So why does this woman look like this?
She’s uninsured and untreated, I guess,
Like so many others, but her poverty
Has brutally tattooed her. I’m sorry,
But there’s nothing comforting I can say
To a Hester painted with a different “A.”
But, hell, maybe this woman would just scorn
My pretentious allusion to Hawthorne.
She might be an everyday sort of brave,
Someone with no wish or need to be saved,
Examined, and pitied by the likes of me,
A poet who pays, over-tips, and flees.
But then I pause at the door and look back
To see the woman use a fingernail to attack
Her skin. She digs and digs at what wounds her,
Seeking clarity, but nothing will soothe her.
Estranged from the tribe that offers protection,
What happens to the soul that hates its reflection?
Out of all of Sherman Alexie’s poems this one really stuck out to me. At some point in their life everyone experiences the awful years of being a preteen and teenager. This poem is very relatable because many people have experienced acne and knows what it is like to have their faces covered. What most don’t have to experience though is for this feeling to never go away. To be plagued by something as simple as acne everyday is not something most people would imagine to be an issue or even consider. In reality through this poem we can see how this acne plagues this woman’s life on a consistent basis and her true feelings towards it.
I think Alexie also had a deeper meaning in mind when construing this poem. He wanted to show how society and people perceive those around them. They often see the physical features of someone and cannot look past those faults. Everyone has their own “A” that has an effect on their life every day. In some cases many people’s “A’s” are very small and unnoticeable by a majority. In this case this woman’s faults are not something that can be ignored. People are drawn to her fault like bugs to a light. This is not necessarily the fault of those around her, but simply human nature. We seek to find the faults in other people whether they be internal or external.
My favorite line in this poem is, “But, hell, maybe this woman would just scorn/ My pretentious allusion to Hawthorne.” I think this quote is very clever and relatable to many people. First I find it very interesting how Alexie alludes to The Scarlet Letter and Hawthorne. He doesn’t do this just in this line, but does it very subtly in the title. The title, “Scarlet,” has two meanings behind it. One person may decipher the title as referring to this woman’s acne and how her face is turned scarlet from it all. On the other hand, which after reading the poem I think about more, is how Alexie is again alluding to Hawthorne. I think this is a very clever idea for the poem and creates a deeper sense of thinking in the reader.
It is not just a clever allusion though. It also speaks to a bigger picture in my opinion. He discusses how it is only fair for him to assume that she may not care about her faults and simply live with them. To do this is much harder said than done because as humans we are constantly being judged by our peers whether or not we want to be. To have the strength to ignore the judgment of another is very challenging and most people in the world are unable to do it. Also, the world would be a much better place if more people thought the way Alexie does. If they look at someone and find that even with faults they are happy then who are we to judge? If this was a consistent thought throughout the world then people would never have a fear of being judged and we would all lose our “A’s.”
This poem does not contain very many poetic techniques besides a small rhyme scheme throughout the poem. This scheme is not very consistent or obvious. This follows Alexie’s common trend in his poetry. He writes very simplistically so that a larger audience can enjoy and understand his poetry. Many of his poems also relate to an audience of common people. He discusses many issues that are occurrences in everyday life and in order to appeal to the largest audience he must write in simplistic terms. As I have said before I think this makes his poetry stronger. It doesn’t make you fight and guess to understand the meaning behind the poem. It is clear cut and understood by a large audience.