Summary

"Full House" is a reflective poem by Jenny Justice that explores the longing for a simpler past during the complexities of the present, particularly through the eyes of a daughter wishing for the 1980s amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

Abstract

The poem "Full House" delves into the emotional landscape of a parent and child navigating the challenges of the Covid-19 era and climate change. The child yearns for the comfort and nostalgia of the 1980s, seeking solace in retro fashion and the television show "Full House." The parent, reflecting on their own childhood desires for a different time, grapples with the reality of the present while attempting to create a nurturing environment for their child. The poem captures the intergenerational longing for a perceived golden age and the shared experience of finding comfort in the past.

Opinions

The author conveys a sense of nostalgia for the 1980s, as seen through the daughter's wish to experience that era's fashion and culture.
There is a palpable concern about the impact of current global issues, such as Covid-19 and climate change, on the younger generation's upbringing.
The poem suggests that media, particularly television shows like "Full House," serve as an escape and a source of comfort during difficult times.
The parent expresses regret for not preserving artifacts from their youth that could have provided happiness for their daughter in the present.
There is an acknowledgment that the past is often idealized and may not have been as perfect as it is remembered.
The poem reflects on the desire to shield children from the harsh realities of the world by creating a joyful and supportive home environment

Full House

A Poem

It comes too quickly — these quarantine nights These wake up, feel out the day, TV it away nights

My box of wine arrives, my groceries outside the door My daughter said she wants it back to normal

My daughter said she wants it to be the 1980’s My daughter said she does not want to grow up in this time

Of Covid19 and Climate Change She wants 80’s sweaters, so we search on Ebay

And I kick myself for being an 80’s baby who did not know enough to Save all of those neon jackets those puffy sweaters those itchy pants

That would now bring a smile to my daughter’s face That would now give her a real piece of the time she finds

Comfort in, that time she goes back to, again and again as she puts herself

To sleep with episode after episode of Full House, as she inserts herself into that show

Much like I did, back then, much like I do, right now, both of us reaching back to a time that

I suppose existed but not like she thinks it did and not like I wish that it did That time when I was latchkey that time when I was PTSD’d

That time when, like my daughter, I wished it was a different time, I was in a different time

I wanted the 1950’s I suppose, I wanted that slowness, that Mr. Ed, that Lassie

I wanted that time when it was not so loud and full of ego and bad habits, I thought

I listen, laughter, laugh tracks, Uncle Jessie, Have Mercy, my daughter is

Learning something from this, my daughter is in the midst of something that will

Define her generation that will be what shapes and pushes and drives and haunts her people

And I want to make home the best place, I want to laugh track her mornings, I want to wake her up with magical siblings who get into silly situations and who talk it out to serious music and hug to awww’s I want to give her something of her wish, her 80’s wish as we all look back, and wonder how we

Ended up here, and what will happen next.

Jenny Justice, Poet. Author of Love in the Time of Climate Change and Reveal. You can read more of her poetry at Justice Poetic. Sign up for her newsletter here.

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