Social Distancing

Due to the unique arrangement of the lines in “Social Distancing,” this analysis will follow the line order of the audio version of the poem read by Herrera, available via the Academy of American Poets ("Social Distancing"). Thus, since the reading the poem begins with the line, “grocery bags have a tendency to wobble,” that will serve as Line 1 in this analysis.

At 13 lines, “Social Distancing” is a relatively short poem designed to be both read and interpreted in any number of ways. In a quotation paired with the poem by the Academy of American Poets, Herrera explains, “The solar circle poem can be read in any direction, or simultaneously with various voices at a ‘distance,’ or it can be cut out and spun like a wheel.” The unique design of the poem on the page allows for various readings and thus, a wide range of interpretations. Indeed, Herrera lays out as his vision that readers might actually take the poem off the page, altering it even further. To honor the intention behind the arrangement of the poem, this analytical section describes several key features of the poem without attempting to chronologically or linearly order the poem.