Analysis of "Invitation"

The Poem I chose for this post is ‘Invitation” by Mark Kirschen; in the first stanza of the poem, Mark writes, “come out to the open where we all are; at the center of a bridge” this line depicts the writers object correlation by setting the main point of this poem, which I believe is describing a place where everyone finds themselves either right now or and inevitably; crossing a troubled time in their life not wanting to fall into the river to get swept away by the current. In the second stanza, the writer shows different instances one might find themselves in, especially the Symbol Mark uses, “fish follow their fathers’ routes,” the symbol fish being a person who could potentially be feeling forced or expected to follow in their father's footsteps either something like joining the military or possibly a sport they used to play. It always plays well with the theme of falling into a river since fish are either stuck in the same pond or swim in the same waters as their parents for generations. In the third stanza, the author uses a strong dictation of making someone who meets him in this situation a myth. I think this stanza shows how in tough times, we feel isolated, and our problems only apply to us, but we forget that many people have gone through similar situations, calling them a “myth.” With that being said, we also make the people who try to help us in difficult situations feel unwanted, like “cold points in a cloud,” signaling rain. The final stanza continues with the previous theme of meeting someone but brings up your eyes holding the light for descendants to cross the bridge. I have two interpretations of this stanza, both I feel are equally fitting, one being that with now crossing the bridge, you have a new experience to help others who cross a similarly tough time. Still, on the other hand, you could be overcoming tough times for people younger than you to have a better life and not fight as hard as you had to. Overall, I chose this poem because It speaks volumes to me right now; I believe I am crossing a metaphorical bridge in my life by going back to school while working, hoping to create a better future for myself, although sometimes it feels like I am not just crossing a bridge but building the very bridge itself. Reading and analyzing a. poem like this has made me feel like my problems aren’t as much of a problem but a blessing to be able to work towards a goal.