Sharks' Teeth
By Kay Ryan
Sharks' Teeth
Everything contains some
silence. Noise gets
its zest from the
small shark's-tooth
shaped fragments
of rest angled
in it. An hour
of city holds maybe
a minute of these
remnants of a time
when silence reigned,
compact and dangerous
as a shark. Sometimes
a bit of a tail
or fin can still
be sensed in parks
About Kay Ryan
Kay Ryan was born on September 21st, 1945 in San Jose, California. Kay is the author of many books and poems and is often compared to Emily Dickinson and Marianne Moore. Kay Ryan grew up in many small towns including San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. She received a bachelor's and a Master's degree from UCLA.
Interpretation of "Sharks' Teeth"
The first stanza of the poem has two very interesting lines in it. First the author states that everything contains silence. Many wonder how noise contains silence, but then Kay Ryan says in lines two through seven where ''noise gets'' its "zest''. The author says the ''rest'' in the ''noise'' is where ''noise'' gets its "zest". Many interpret this poem in many ways, this is the most common interpretation.
Theme of ''Sharks' Teeth''
The theme of ''Sharks' Teeth'' by Kay Ryan is to pay attention and stay aware in your life. In her poem Kay Ryan said ''remnants of time when silence reigned, compact and dangerous as a shark.'' (10-13). This means time can be dangerous like a shark because it can sneak up on you and be very damaging if you do not pay attention and be alert,
Shark's Teeth