The Furthest Distances I've Travelled by Leontia Flynn

Analysis of the Title

The title "The Furthest Distances I've Travelled" suggests a focus on the speaker's experiences of travel, both literal and metaphorical. It sets the stage for a reflection on how the most significant journeys are often the ones that occur within personal relationships and emotional experiences.

Structure and Form

Form, Meter, and Rhyme

• The poem is written in free verse, consisting of eight quatrains (four-line stanzas).
• There is no consistent rhyme scheme or meter, allowing for a conversational and natural flow.
• The free verse form mirrors the unpredictability and spontaneity of the speaker's travels and relationships.

Speaker

• The speaker is an individual reflecting on their past experiences of travelling and the shifts in their life as they have settled down.
• The tone is introspective and nostalgic, with moments of humor and ruefulness.

Setting

• The settings in the poem range from global locations such as Krakow, Zagreb, and Siberian airports to more mundane domestic settings like a post office or a laundry room.
• These varied settings highlight the contrast between the speaker's adventurous past and their more settled present life.

Poetic Devices

Simile

• Similes are used to draw comparisons that deepen the reader's understanding of the speaker's experiences.
• For example, "the way my spine / curved under it like a meridian –" likens the speaker's physical burden to the curvature of the Earth, emphasizing the vastness of the journeys.

Enjambment

• Enjambment is used extensively to create a sense of continuity and movement, reflecting the speaker's restless travels.
• For instance, "that in restlessness, in anony / mity: / was some kind of destiny." illustrates the fluidity and lack of pause in the speaker's life.

Caesura

• Caesurae are used to create pauses within lines, adding emphasis and reflecting the speaker's contemplation.

For example, "I thought: Yes. This is how / to live." creates a dramatic pause that underscores the speaker's revelation about travel.

Alliteration

• Alliteration adds a musical quality to the poem and emphasizes certain sounds.
• For instance, "scare stories about Larium" uses the repeated 's' sound to draw attention to the ominous nature of the drug's side effects.

Allusion

• Allusions enrich the poem by referring to specific cultural and geographical elements.
• The mention of "Larium" and its side effects places the speaker in a context where travel involves serious health risks.

Key Themes

The Value and Difficulty of Relationships

• The poem contrasts the speaker's physical travels with the emotional journeys they undertake in relationships.
• The speaker reflects that the most challenging and rewarding distances are those between people: "the furthest distances I've travelled / have been those between people."
• This theme is underscored by the mementoes of past relationships that the speaker finds, which are as significant as souvenirs from their travels.

Seeking Adventure vs. Settling Down

• The poem explores the speaker's transition from a life of constant travel to a more settled existence.
• The speaker reminisces about the thrill of backpacking and contrasts it with their current life, which involves more mundane activities like laundry: "I am less likely / to be catching a greyhound from Madison to Milwaukee / than to be doing some overdue laundry."
• Despite the changes, the speaker finds value in the quieter adventures of everyday life and relationships.

Line by Line Analysis

Lines 1-4

Like many folk, when first I saddled a rucksack,

feeling its weight on my back –

the way my spine

curved under it like a meridian –

"Like many folk, when first I saddled a rucksack,"

• The speaker begins by aligning their experience with that of many others who have travelled.
• The term "saddled" suggests a heavy burden or responsibility taken on willingly.

"feeling its weight on my back – / the way my spine / curved under it like a meridian –"

• The imagery of the spine curving like a meridian suggests the physical and metaphorical journey the speaker is embarking on.
• The simile highlights the connection between the physical act of carrying a backpack and the broader journey of exploring the world.

Lines 5-8

I thought: Yes. This is how

to live. On the beaten track, the sherpa pass, between Krakow

and Zagreb, or the Siberian white

cells of scattered airports;

"I thought: Yes. This is how / to live."

• The speaker has a moment of epiphany, feeling that travel is their true way of living.
• This revelation sets the tone for the rest of their adventures.

"On the beaten track, the sherpa pass, between Krakow / and Zagreb, or the Siberian white / cells of scattered airports;"

• The speaker lists various travel experiences, from common tourist paths to remote and challenging locations.
• This variety emphasizes their desire to explore all aspects of the world.

Lines 9-12

it came clear as over a tannoy

that in restlessness, in anony

mity:

was some kind of destiny.

"it came clear as over a tannoy / that in restlessness, in anony / mity:"

• The speaker realizes that their restlessness and desire for anonymity are part of their destiny.
• The enjambment and split of "anonymity" emphasize the fragmented nature of this realization.

"was some kind of destiny."

• The speaker feels a strong sense of purpose in their restless travels.

Lines 13-16

So whether it was the scare stories about Larium

– the threats of delirium

and baldness – that led me, not to a Western Union

wiring money with six words of Lithuanian,

"So whether it was the scare stories about Larium / – the threats of delirium / and baldness –"

• The speaker mentions the side effects of Larium, an antimalarial drug, highlighting the risks associated with their travels.
• This allusion adds a layer of complexity to the speaker's experiences.

"that led me, not to a Western Union / wiring money with six words of Lithuanian,"

• The speaker contrasts their adventurous past with their current more mundane actions, suggesting a shift in priorities.

Lines 16-22

but to this post office with a handful of bills

or a giro; and why, if I'm stuffing smalls

hastily into a holdall, I am less likely

to be catching a greyhound from Madison to Milwaukee

than to be doing some overdue laundry

is really beyond me.

"but to this post office with a handful of bills / or a giro;"

• The speaker describes their current routine tasks, contrasting sharply with their past adventures.

"and why, if I'm stuffing smalls / hastily into a holdall, I am less likely / to be catching a greyhound from Madison to Milwaukee / than to be doing some overdue laundry"

• The enjambment reflects the speaker's surprise and confusion about their transition from a life of travel to a more settled existence.
• The comparison between past travel and present chores underscores the changes in the speaker's life.

Lines 23-28

However,

when, during routine evictions, I discover

alien pants, cinema stubs, the throwaway

comment – on a post–it – or a tiny stowaway

pressed flower amid bottom drawers,

I know these are my souvenirs

"However, / when, during routine evictions, I discover / alien pants, cinema stubs, the throwaway / comment – on a post–it – or a tiny stowaway / pressed flower amid bottom drawers,"

• The speaker finds mementoes from past relationships, suggesting that these small items hold significant emotional value.
• The enjambment and list format creates a sense of accumulation and reflection.

"I know these are my souvenirs"

• The speaker realizes that these items are the true keepsakes from their life, representing personal connections rather than physical travels.

Lines 29-32

and, from these crushed valentines, this unravelled

sports sock, that the furthest distances I've travelled

have been those between people. And what survives

of holidaying briefly in their lives.

"and, from these crushed valentines, this unravelled / sports sock,"

• The imagery of "crushed valentines" and an "unravelled sports sock" symbolizes the remnants of past relationships.
• These items serve as metaphors for the emotional journeys the speaker has undertaken.

"that the furthest distances I've travelled / have been those between people."

• The speaker acknowledges that the most significant journeys are the emotional and relational ones, not the physical travels.
• This line encapsulates the central theme of the poem.

"And what survives / of holidaying briefly in their lives."

• The poem concludes with the speaker reflecting on the transient nature of relationships and the lasting impact they have.
• This final thought emphasizes the value of emotional connections over physical journeys.