Summary

The speaker describes a man who travels between train cars. He’s worn down by the weather and a hard life; with him he carries a tin of beans and his harmonica. The man has been homeless long enough that it doesn’t unnerve him anymore, but he wasn’t always. At sunrise, he eats the little food he has without cooking it, because a fire can draw too much attention. The man has travelled all across the country, sometimes meeting other homeless men who go unnoticed by the rest of society. He tells himself that he is happy and free, but knows that he’s lying to himself. Despite the hardship, he feels there’s something noble in his way of living.

Analysis

“Breath and Distance” begins with a couplet of impersonal but evocative observations: “Crouched between boxcars, fingers raw and split, face...