Indecision — Summary

Dave BontaAnxious

off on and off again an outfit for view at night

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Two short lines carry a double meaning, and the title is what unlocks it. "Off on and off again" reads first as a light flickering, or a switch flipped back and forth. But under the title "Indecision," it also describes a mind that can't settle: yes, no, yes, no.

The second line, "an outfit for view at night," pulls the image in two directions. It could be a string of lights, something put on display after dark. It could also be a kind of costume, something a person wears to be seen. Read that way, the speaker might be someone deciding how to present themselves, or a thing that can't decide whether to be noticed at all.

The poem never says which reading is right, and that suits its subject. It leaves us hovering between them, much as the lights hover between dark and bright. The mood is playful but a little restless, a small flicker of nerves caught in very few words.

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