Dancing at the Edge of the World

San Francisco for Ferlinghetti cultivated an enviable state of mind- one that was both at peace and on fire. It made him feel at peace because he knew that it was just where he wanted to be, and it made him feel passionate because like anything great, San Francisco opened up limitless possibilities, and because it was so shrouded in beauty, it promised great joy and adventure. The world outside of San Francisco was the one Ferlinghetti had grown accustomed to- the world of increasing detachment to ideas or enthusiasm, matched by increasing attachment to consumer products and apathy. But not in San Francisco. Here the self could breathe easy, relax and ask itself what it really needed. It seemed San Francisco was perfect in almost every way, “…a city small enough for human conviviality and large enough for intense creative ferment” (25). For Ferlinghetti, San Francisco is almost a lover, one that lets him have his space, but one that always calls back to him, irresistibly. Once he found his niche in North Beach “…the Italian and bohemian center of the city”(26), Ferlinghetti felt at home, there on the “last frontier…dancing on the edge of the world” (26). That a place could ellicit such a dramatic sense of emotional well-being is staggering. The most important thing is that it gave Ferlinghetti a place he could stretch out his soul and sing his own song, even providing most of the lyrics. However, because he loves her so much, Ferlinghetti is also worried about his city, afraid that “[c]orporate monoculture had wiped out any unique sense of place, turning the “island-city” into an artisitic theme-park, without artists” (26). In many ways San Francisco gives Ferlinghetti a sense of the tragic, and he conveys this tragedy through his poetry. You can see this especially in his poem “ The Old Italians Dying”, in which you can hear Ferlinghetti’s love, and feel his sadness at not being able to do anything. For Ferlinghetti, the city is aesthetically pleasing, yes, but the people are what really matter to him; without them the city is merely a beautifully-lit stage.