Emphasizing the aggravation provoked by surrounding neighbors in “Suburban”, John Ciardi specifies subtle irony, unambiguous imagery and pronounced characterization to display that even the glorified assumption of living in the suburbs isn’t always what it is made out to be “when even [the] suburbs shall give up their dead.”
Some may say that I am compulsive, overly organized… Or what some would call a freak. I’m that girl that has to match everything in her binder by color and even color coordinate the color marker I use to label the class’ corresponding textbook and the one who have a specific place for every little thing. But, here’s a scenario for you to get the full picture here, you’re in a crowded room and someone randomly poses the question… “Does anyone happen have a Q-Tip?!” and while everyone stares blankly at one another, thinking, no, why would anyone have a Q-Tip with them? Well, that’s where I come in, with my compulsive, overly prepared ways. As I reach into my “Mary Poppins” bag and pull out a 30 packs of Q-Tips, and the reaction I usually will get is, why exactly do you need that many Q-Tips in your purse? And my response is that, I don’t. This is obviously strange to some and I agree that it is, but what’s the harm in being prepared? Nothing usually, well recently there was this one situation, during a lock down/K-9 drug sweep, my with the “Mary Poppins” bag, with a million different little bags, gets her purse searched and the police officer has to go through every single thing being held in this bag, all the way from my mini medicine bottles to my first aid kit, and before you know it my entire life is spread across a cold, Norton High School cafeteria table for the entire Norton Police department to see. During the process of pulling apart each and every thing in my bag, the police office stops while going through my make-up bag, and says in the nicest way possible, I think you may need a bigger bag, and unfortunately he may be right. But you know you have a problem when your own mother starts to mock you for the things you have in your purse and pokes fun at all of the different necessities I have with me at all times, but then when she’s the one who happens to slice her finger open and needs an emergency band-aid… Do you need a band-aid? Oh that’s too bad, I don’t know where you’re going to get one, oh yes that’s right I have a first aid kit in my purse! Hold on a second. WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?!?! There is a lesson to be learned here and that is, don’t mock the one who you’ll come to when you casually need a nail file while out to dinner, my “Mary Poppins” bag may save your day.
