The Summer I Was Sixteen

Influenced by the principles of lyric and confessional poetry, “The Summer I Was Sixteen” is an autobiographical poem, using the first-person pronoun “I” within the title. Connolly writes about her 16th summer, the summer of 1964, in the past tense, reflecting on her former self and her experiences with the perspective and clarity brought on by adulthood. The tone is that of amusement, detailing childhood preoccupations in a way that is true to both her past and present selves.

Connolly utilizes all five senses to draw readers deeper into the landscape of her childhood. Readers are inundated with sensory information from the outset of Stanza 1, which describes the “turquoise pool” (Line 1), the central location of the poem, and its “silver” (Line 2) slide glinting in the sunlight. The use of color creates a vivid image that is reinforced by the assumed smell of chlorine and the warmth of the summer sun. The singular “I” becomes “we” within the body of the poem, alluding to the fact that Connolly “plunged” (Line 3), “sunbathed” (Line 8), and “danced”  (Line 9) by the poolside with friends, characterizing the joy de vivre of young adulthood as a communal experience. Readers can hear the “screaming” (Line 3) of the girls jumping into the pool, and feel the “bubbles” (Line 3) on their skin. Connolly engages readers beyond the surface level, causing them to experience the poem as if they are reliving their own memory.

The allusions to taste and smell in particular foster the feeling of nostalgia, a longing for the simplicity of the past. Stanzas 3 and 4 introduce the snack counter, selling confections such as “cherry colas” (Line 10), “Dreamsicles” (Line 10), cups of “root beer” (Line 12), and “cotton candy torches” (Line 13). This menu of processed, sugary foods epitomizes childhood cravings and indicates how, in their youth, Connolly and her friends were more concerned with instant gratification than the nutritional value of their food. These sensory details come together to create the poem’s overall upbeat and happy atmosphere, mimicking the carefree, leisurely, and altogether sweet attitude of Connolly and her teenage friends.

Connolly characterizes her younger self as easily satisfied, “Oiled and sated” (Line 7) by simply “sunbath[ing]” in the afternoon light (Line 8). However, in order to maintain that same level of contentment, Connolly bounces between many different activities. Each new stanza introduces the new activity currently holding the girls’ attention: They go from swimming in Stanza 1 to sunbathing in Stanza 2. They shift quickly from dancing “to the slow beat of ‘Duke of Earl’” (Line 9) to eating “cotton candy” (Line 13) all within Stanza 3. After Connolly and her friends finally tire, they choose a more laidback activity: resting on soft, “chenille / blankets” (Lines 15-16) under “the summer shadows” (Line 14) of “Cherry. Elm.  Sycamore” trees (Line 15). In the final stanza, the girls return to sunbathing, starting the cycle all over again. Connolly describes each of these activities in rapid succession, illustrating the shortened attention span of children, constantly moving between activities to stay entertained. Every stanza is brief, each four lines in length, further conveying the fast-paced lives of teenagers, unbothered by the passing of time.

Connolly underscores her innocence, her youthful unawareness of experiences that were not fun. However, she acknowledges that, at 16, she was not wholly ignorant to the world around her, introducing subtle gender dynamics into the poem that highlight the teenager’s awareness of her body and the way it is perceived by others. The image of Connolly and her friends plunging into the pool is followed directly by the admission that “We [the girls] did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy” (Line 4). Within the first four lines of the poem, Connolly makes readers aware that she and her friends are being watched. Teenage Connolly is anything but oblivious, playing into the male desire in hopes that she becomes an object of male affection. This internalized misogyny manifests in young Connolly’s purposeful actions; the specific diction exposes the measures her younger self took in order to be viewed in the most optimal way. Instead of ‘standing up’ and ‘walking’ around the pool deck, Connolly remembers how she “rose and paraded the concrete” (Line 8). The verb “parade” (Line 8) has attention-seeking connotations, revealing the young Connolly’s longing for admiration and mutual desire—her longing to “exist” (Line 4).

Connolly’s adult perspective, writing in the past tense to explicate the tender moments of her youth, allows her to foreshadow the life beyond her teenage years. The final line alludes to how the once “improbable world” (Line 20) can be seen through the “chain link” (Line 20) surrounding the pool. Her transition into adulthood is on the horizon; however, it has not yet quite touched the happy-go-lucky landscape of her life.

“The Summer I Was Sixteen” does not capture a huge milestone in Connolly’s life; rather, it renders a small, carefree moment as important and precious. Connolly reflects on the summer she was 16, immortalizing it in poetry to keep part of that childhood innocence alive within her adult life; the poem’s composition demonstrates that no matter how fleeting childhood is, it can always be accessed through memory and verse.