20 pages • 40-minute read
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
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Literary Devices
Form and Meter
“When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities” is a 30-line, free verse poem, meaning that there are no consistent patterns of rhyme, rhythm, or meter throughout the entirety of the piece. The poem contains 15 stanzas, or groupings of lines, and is playful and surprising in its construction.
The only consistency found within the structure of Chen’s poem is that each stanza is two lines in length. Traditional two-line stanzas, also known as couplets, are typically marked by rhythmic correspondence or rhyme. Couplets often signify the end of a poem, concluding a piece of writing in a succinct manner, leaving readers with a lasting impression of the poem’s main thematic concerns. However, by deviating from these rules, Chen is able to succinctly discuss a myriad of subjects throughout the poem, constantly concluding a thought and beginning another.
The two-line stanzas also create a natural back and forth, mimicking Chen’s conflicting emotions throughout the poem. He is constantly introducing new relationship dynamics into the poem (see: Poem Analysis), wrestling with the intersections of his own identity. Chen’s two-line stanzas therefore set both the pace and tone of the poem for readers, exposing how quickly his mind shifts from thought to thought, ever worried and ever hopeful for the future of his relationships.
Enjambment
Enjambment occurs when one line of poetry flows into the next without being end-stopped by any form of punctuation. Chen’s use of enjambment creates internal connections across the line breaks and between the stanzas of his poem. Enjambed lines such as: “To be relationship / advice for L. To be advice // for my mother,” allow Chen to smoothly transition from one subject to the next without overwhelming readers (Lines 3-5). Enjambed lines are imbued with suspense, similar to that of a cliffhanger, forcing readers to continually engage with the text in order to find out what happens next. The natural flow of the enjambed lines of “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities” mimics Chen’s own stream-of-conscious thoughts: varied and uninterrupted.
Anaphora
Anaphora, a figure of speech traditionally found in religious devotionals, occurs when the speaker or writer of a poem repeats a word or sequence of words at the beginning of a series of sentences or phrases. The infinitive verb “to be” starts every new sentence within the poem, always appearing directly after a period in order to signify when Chen begins a new thought (Line 1). The anaphora acts as a way for Chen to add another bullet point to the “list of further possibilities” he imagines throughout the poem. The anaphora of this infinitive provides readers with a sense of stability, creating a pattern that adds predictability to the otherwise complex content of “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities.”
The final line of the poem, Line 30, is the only instance in which Chen does not begin a new sentence with “to be” (Line 1). The preceding sentence reads, “To be the blue & the red,” continuing the anaphora readers anticipate (Line 29). However, Chen begins his final sentence with the word “the” (Line 30). This departure is subtle, and yet it speaks volumes about Chen’s journey of self-discovery. By the very end of the poem, he no longer has to convince himself that he has the potential “to be” certain things, but rather, he knows that he already is them in the present, “the green, the hot pink” (Lines 29-30).
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