Long afternoons admiring the lake
Playing hopscotch for the sake of being a kid
Doing things kids did
We sat by the shore discussing our joys
Trash talking boys who made noise
between sips of coca cola
Yelling hola!
At the cute Puerto Ricans with
Cinnamon tans, so butter pecan
under Chicago sun as we peeked beneath
Our ray bans with our afro-centric style
and bright smiles
Somehow the world wasn't as evil
Sly reminded us to be "everyday people"
We strolled down Argyle to Margate park
In daylight and after dark
It was always a fun time
Never cost us a dime
Just funning in the sunshine
Concerts on the lake
Hostess cupcakes and lemon heads
Jamaican boys with dreads
Platform shoes and mood rings
Those were normal things
Back in the day the radio, yes radio played
Donna Summer Al Green
Barry White and Marvin Gaye
Peter Frampton, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Chaka Khan every day
I had feathers or beads hanging from my hair
Not too many cares in my world
Just an Uptown girl
Drifting on my memories when I get the notion
Enjoying the bliss of my yesterday emotions
From: Uptown Déjà Vu
Summary
“Yesterday Emotions” by Jimmie Ware is a poem centered on place and geography, memory, nature. Its imagery is anchored in Chicago. The poem develops its subject through recurring images and shifts in emotional pressure rather than reducing the experience to a single statement.
Analysis
Voice
A personal, first-person speaker combines recollection with direct emotional address.
Style and form
The poem is line-driven, compressed, first-person. The poem moves by accumulation: images, references, and tonal turns build on one another, so meaning emerges from their relationships as much as from narrative sequence.
Themes and imagery
Its strongest thematic currents include place and geography, memory, nature, travel and movement. Concrete images give those abstractions physical weight, while changes in diction and pace keep the poem from settling into a single emotional register.
Reading the poem
A productive way to read “Yesterday Emotions” is to watch how its images change function as the poem progresses. Details that initially establish scene or memory become emotional evidence. The result is a poem whose argument is carried through association, rhythm, and image as much as through explicit statement.
Explore this poem
Source & rights
Source: Uptown Déjà Vu
Rights: Copyright controlled by the rights holder. Published here with permission.