Maya Garaway Week 3: “Money” by C. Dale Young

     In “Money” by C. Dale Young, the author tells a story of a club scene. He describes himself as a dancer and the focus and goals of himself and the people around him. I was quite surprised while reading this poem. Based on the poem, I was expecting a poem based on critiques of materialistic views, but instead, it was about a club scene. 

    One thing that stuck out to me is this use of biblical symbolism throughout C. Dale Young’s poems. He consistently portrays himself with wings in multiple poems. There is a section that both includes this symbol of wings but still integrates it with his surrounding environment. “My greyish wings extended to full wingspan, my chest shaved— the clubbers believe I am wearing a costume.” To me, it seems that the wings are used as an identification mark. I believe the wings can also symbolize being separated or different from everyone else. That is part of the reason why he includes that “the clubbers believe [he] is wearing a costume.” It's because when the people surrounding him are not really focused on himself as a person, he can blend in.  

This section also relates to a previous line of the poem. “The dollar bills they throw into your cage are all you need to care about because you aren’t dancing in a cage to entertain them. You dance in a cage to make money.” This brings the poem back to the goals and focus of the surrounding people. This line shows how the wings can be seen without being believed. It uses money to show how the people achieve their goals. The clubbers are not there for him, but for someone in general. They don't specifically care about him. He isn't dancing for them, but for the money.

This poem left a perspective of how similar everything and how minute everything can be. Honestly, this poem was quite confusing but still captivating and thought-provoking.