"A Fire Truck" by Richard Wilbur

A Fire Truck was an extremely well developed poem, with a dramatic and entrancing take on such an every day occurrence. The purpose of the poem would be to portray, in detail, the emotions and experiential occurrences when a fire truck passes by. It was interesting to observe the truth in his words, and the literally perfect descriptions of the exact happenings when a fire truck interrupts daily activity.
This is good poetry, because though there is no immediate or necessary underlying meanings, one simply hears the verses and becomes aware that it is simply true, and just takes it for what it is. Each stanza progresses chronologically, making it simple to focus on the immediate action only. In the first stanza, the "siren-blast" catches your attention and you immediately stop to consider what's happening, clearly, the "redness, brass, ladders, and hats" of the fire truck have caught your attention, just like a real one would. Following the first stanza, as quickly as it came, the fire truck "(makes) it around the turn in a squall of traction", and it's gone before you can think twice about it's destination or impact on the rest of the observers, quite literally, "though is degraded action" because it does no good to examine what's just happened, just accept it and then let the effects sink in. The third stanza does just this, allows time for the blurry incident to sink in, to take it's effect. The writer simply tells it like it is, your mind would be blank, "purged of nuance," and you can think about nothing else except for the 'loud, obvious thing" that's just passed you by. To make the poem complete, and add a sound ending to the short burst of chaotic incidence that's just impeded on your day, the writer says "as you howl," signifying that though the fire truck is gone, the memory is still fresh in your mind. Your perhaps previous irritation for the loud truck fades away with the thought of an "extinguished fire," and you immediately feel comfortable and rested knowing that some good is coming out of this interruption to your day.
This is very good poetry, and effective because you do not have to decipher the stanza's to appreciate the happenstance. One can read the poem and know that for the instant that ones day was interrupted, the fire truck has passed, done it's duty, and you may continue safely along. Very concise and effective; I think that the next fire truck I see will have some strange effects on me, and I hope that no one will be near.