"A Fire Truck" by Richard Wilbur

The purpose of this poem is to illustrate the “loud, obvious” presence of a fire truck racing down the street. The writer is an observant bystander, perhaps someone wandering down the street who is “purged of nuance” by the “uproarious gear”, “squall of traction” and “headlong bell” of the fire truck. The poet conveys the loud conspicuousness of the truck as well as the admiring it’s “phoenix-red simplicity” and beauty.

This is good poetry because it starts with an every day object that most people don’t really take notice of, and describes it in a way that makes it seem beautiful. This poem uses rhetorical devices such as alliteration: “shocked street”, personification: “as you howl beyond hearing” and rhyme to convince the reader of the magnificence of the fire truck. This poem is also good because it is short and sweet. The author has chosen his words very carefully in order to be descriptive, accurate, and emotional. However, the expressive adjectives he uses are not an effort to be “clever by half”, but they are beautifully chosen words that communicate his feelings quite effectively. The purpose of this piece of poetry is easy to make out because the writer does not overdo it. He keeps it as short and simple as possible while still transferring his deep and intricate feelings to the reader through this poem.