The Dangerous Allure of the Unknown

“Old Brooklyn Magic” explores a new experience; the speaker is coming to this whimsical place for the first time. There is a childlike sense of wonder as the speaker approaches the light and colour of the fairground-like setting; yet in this innocence is the dangerous ability to be trapped, coerced, or otherwise harmed in some way. Of “Old Brooklyn Magic”, the poet says “I wanted to paint an eerie portrait of the Brooklyn Bridge area as I first experienced it, capturing both a feeling of wonder and unease, […] I was a teenager going off to university, taking in an unfamiliar city for the first time on my own”. The setting of the poem encompasses this dichotomy of wonder and fear, magic and malice.

In the opening stanzas, the poem highlights the beauty of this place through opulent and enchanting imagery. In...