Homecoming

“Homecoming” is written in free verse, without any stanza breaks, rhymes, or regular meter. The length of the lines vary from around seven syllables per line to 16 syllables per line. However, many lines hover around 10 syllables per line. This is in a similar vein with other poems in Alvarez’s book Homecoming—a series of sonnets called 33, which generally have 10 syllable lines. In the titular poem of the book, Alvarez’s meter varies along with the line length. The poem has a narrative feel, as it describes the period of time from when the guests arrive at the wedding to the cutting of the cake as the sun rises. Alvarez highlights moments of swimming, dancing, eating, and talking. She uses italics to indicate lines that are spoken by the speaker’s uncle and a grandmother. Most of the poem takes place during the dinner and reception.

The speaker, thinking back on Carmen’s wedding, also recalls moments from when they attended college. This shift in recollection to the speaker’s college days occupies only six of the 64 lines—a small flash forward in a generally clear narrative of one day. This movement in time echoes the content about the speaker moving between locations.