Clinton South of Polk

Clinton South of Polk - meaning Summary

Immigrant Street Music

Sandburg paints a brief urban vignette set on Clinton Street south of Polk, where Italian children quarrel. The poem focuses on sound and rhythm: their angry exchanges become a "cataract of coloratura," turning domestic argument into music. The speaker listens with a detached, almost lulling pleasure, suggesting empathy and aesthetic distance toward immigrant life and the city’s everyday chorus. It rewards attentive listening.