The City that Does Not Sleep

Another poem that Mrs. Healey posted has interested me. The City that Does Not Sleep contains many paradoxes. We all know that we do sleep, and we all know that dreams do exist. The paradox lies in the fact that we believe they exist, but all we know is what we have experienced in our lives. Who knows whether the real world is actually reality? We could be living the dream, and experiencing “real life” when we dream. Thus, we are not even really sure of what dreams are. Therefore, even though we experience them, who’s to say that they actually do exist? In addition to paradoxes, there are many nature references in the poem.
All of the references to animals portray nature as a wild animal. The poem says, “The living iguanas will come and bite the men who do not dream.” Since no one can dream according to the poem, the “iguanas” will come and bite everyone. I believe that nature in the form of the iguana represents death.This may have to do with the circle of life, because everyone must die eventually. Also in the poem is intense imagery that made my imagination run wild. Fore example, “We will watch the preserved butterflies rise from the dead,” is a really interesting image to me. The author seems to really emphasize the idea of life and death especially in nature. These dark and deathly images interest me. When the poem says "Careful! Careful! Careful!", it seems to me as if the author is giving the reader a warning. He is warning that life will not be easy, and we must all make sacrifices in order to attain true happiness. This again repeats the serious tone of the poem, and brings my attention to the fact that everything dies.