In Golden Gate Park That Day ... by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

When I first read "In Golden Gate Park That Day...", I thought it was just a simple scene where a couple go for an outing to the Golden Gate Park. It seemed very normal and the tone seemed almost casual. However, when I read the poem again, I can see what Ferlinghetti does with every single stanza. This poem does in fact, describe a couple going for an outing, but there are some many underlying problems hinted by Ferlinghetti and his specific diction used throughout. Even in the first stanza, you can sort of sense a feeling of separation between the couple. They seem to be doing their own thing, where the man is "carrying an old beat-up flute in one hand" (6-7) and the woman "had a bunch of grapes which she kept handing out individually to various squirrels as if each were a little joke" (8-13). Already it seems like they aren't acting like a true couple. Also, Ferlinghetti makes sure the readers notice the line "without looking at each other" (22) and by repeating it three times. This furthers the distance the readers assume between the couple. The final lines of the poem where the woman was "without any particular expression except a certain awful look of terrible depression" (49-51) really emphasized how the couple truly grew apart and un-fond of each other. I believe Ferlinghetti is describing how relationships deteriorate after a while, by showing how a normal seeming couple is truly two depressed and distant people.