From Seven Floors Up

In "From Seven Floors Up", Sharon Olds compares her relatively easy life to that of a homeless man she observes. It is interesting how the differences in lifestyle are portrayed, and it seems that Olds realizes just how much she really has. I love how, after a week in the wilderness, she finds "joy in the shower" and puts her arms around the "cold, clean toilet." I have felt similarly after camping, and it helps you to realize just how much you take for granted. On the flipside, it is sad to think that there are many people who, not necessarily by choice, are living without a warm home or food that is readily available; let alone the ability to have a warm shower every day.

The title of this poem is also interesting. It gives the reader the feeling that the author is probably more affluent and living "higher up" in a nice apartment building. She is literally looking down on this homeless man as he is walking around with his shopping cart. I don't think, however, that she feels like she is better than this man; in fact, I think Olds realizes that she could be the one out in the cold while someone else was looking down on her.

I like the ending of this poem where Olds, in very descriptive language, illustrates the harsh conditions this man is in. "And he shoulders his earth, his wheeled hovel, north, the wind at his back--November, the trees coming bare in earnest." Then, she contrasts that with "November, the month of my easy birth," signalling that her easy life began in this month that has been so cold and harsh for another.