The poem moves between a small, beautiful moment and a much darker one. It opens with light turning a plain table and a single piece of meat into something golden, a quiet image of ordinary things made precious. Then the speaker admits they would gladly have doubted everything, but joy has taken hold of them, and they compare its size to a king's fear of death. That comparison suggests joy here is not simple or comfortable; it feels powerful and a little frightening.
The speaker says their "yes" might not hold, as if the sand could shift under it. Even so, they open the window and face what they see, which they call unsufferable torment. The title, "Get woke stay woke," seems to echo in the last stanza, where the aim is not to speak but to stay present, refusing the usual ease and sleep. The mood is alert and uneasy, joyful and shaken at once.