Thirty-Eight — Summary

In Risa Bear’s “Thirty-Eight,” a speaker drives through unbroken rain, looking for a single merchant “who might give aid / to an empty hand.” The situation is stark: someone is in need and has nothing to offer in return. The phrase “empty hand” makes that vulnerability physical—it suggests poverty, exhaustion, or simply being at the end of one’s resources. The rain adds to the mood of weariness and isolation, as if the world is cold and indifferent. There is no arrival, no helper found; the speaker is still searching. The poem leaves a sense of quiet desperation and persistence, holding onto a small hope that somewhere one person may be willing to help. The title may mark an age, giving the moment the weight of accumulated experience, but the feeling is immediate and human.