What is the theme in Smart and Final Iris by James Tate?

Popular culture is a theme in the poem. By referring to and incorporating elements of popular culture into his poem, Tate reconfigures readers' expectations about poetry's subject matter. Historically, critics have judged "great" poetry to be that which transcends historical circumstances and says something universal about the human condition. "Smart and Final Iris," however, is rooted in history and American culture. Readers need to know what the Pentagon is, the American military's practice of giving code names to operations, the double meaning of the title, and something about the fear of nuclear war to fully appreciate the poem. Arguably, such topical subject matter also makes the poem more immediately relevant to readers' lives than, say, another love poem.