Gary Soto

"After Tonight"

This poem consists of four stanzas of varying lengths. There is no rhyme scheme. The poem is instructive and reminds the audience that nothing is certain. Just because your days have gone by relatively unchanged does not mean that tomorrow holds the same.  The poem instructs readers not to take anything for granted. Soto criticizes the addressee with
And you do not think of the hills
And of the splintered wrists it takes
To give you
The heat rising toward the ceiling (lines 15-18).
We often forget from whence we derive our comforts and our security.  We see horrible things happening to people and think "them, but never me."  Soto's message is important. It seems to be a common feature of human nature that we take our security and comfort for granted when we are not forced to actively protect and defend it. Soto's use of language is such that it warns us quietly and sternly. Without explicitly telling the addressee that she ought to be aware of and acknowledge every possibility, Soto creeps into our thoughts and we feel insecure. The greater message is not one of fear but of realism. No one is immune to mishap or disaster.