Lines 1–2

The poem begins with an imaginative scenario: a visitor from a distant world has landed to observe Earth. However, the tone is playful rather than grave, as the alien is charmingly dubbed a “tourist,” suggesting a benign curiosity rather than an invasion. The whimsical name “Orbitville” evokes a small-town Americana feel, akin to settlements named Kentville or Roseville, and its simplicity reflects a naive fascination with outer space. When this poem was penned back in 1963, the space race between America and the Soviet Union was headline news, making terms like “orbit” quite common. Thus, "Orbitville” adds a touch of child-like wonder and simplicity, reinforcing a whimsical tone. The notion of parking “in the air” further underscores the speaker’s playful borrowing from science fiction, creating an inviting, non-threatening narrative for younger audiences while offering sophisticated readers a delightful touch of whimsy.

Line 3

In this line, Earth is curiously referred to as a "star," which an informed space traveler would surely distinguish from a planet. This blunder highlights the visitor’s innocence, underscoring the confusion it will face in subsequent verses. The term "star" also conjures feelings of awe and enigma, tapping into the reader's emotional associations, known as "connotations."

Line 4

As technology enters the spotlight in Line 4, it remains ambiguous exactly what the visitor is witnessing or if Earth is indeed the destination. The alien's erroneous use of “creature” to describe something man-made hints at a fascinating mix-up, blurring the lines between life and machinery.

Lines 5–6

The term "guts" is unexpectedly casual for depicting a creature's innards. Swenson's intent becomes apparent in the poem’s closing lines, where "guts" connects to the notion of bravery. Line 6 offers the obvious: anything visible inside might be deemed its guts.

Lines 7–10

Here, clarity emerges as the visitor describes an automobile: wheels spinning where feet might be reveal its identity. The speaker employs intriguing metaphors for highways. "Diagrams" suggest meticulous illustrations, aligning roads with travelers’ maps, though inconspicuous from the surface. Imagining highways as "measuring tapes" hints at the uniform dashes bisecting lanes, flipping the usual perspective: if roads were indeed measuring tapes, they would command the journey’s focus.

Lines 11–12

Lights often evoke eyes, perhaps due to the eye's glassy sheen resembling an electric bulb. The car’s headlights align with this imagery, rationalizing the visitor’s analogy in Line 11. Seeing taillights as eyes is more abstract — unfamiliar with the visitor’s background, one might imagine eyes common at the back, yet this detail isn't arbitrary; it suggests the author selected it deliberately. Red, symbolizing fire and fervor, with eyes aglow, invokes intense emotions. Combined with headlamps that pierce the night, the earthly "creature" embodies a blend of logic and sentiment.

The "five-eyed" entity is a police car, iconic in the 1960s for its solitary red globe that whirled atop during arrests. The alien, in its innocent tone, calls this figure of authority "special," a term far more buoyant than anticipated. The three red lights contrasted with two clear ones skew the balance towards emotion over reason.

Lines 17–20

These lines hint most directly at the poem’s contemplation of human intelligence. From above, cars behave as if paying homage to the police car, perhaps due to its peculiar rooftop mutation. On the ground, this is simply sensible behavior to evade traffic fines. The juxtaposition of these views offers a novel perspective on what defines intelligence.

The image of a police car "weaving among them from behind" suggests a strategic game of cat-and-mouse between driver and officer. To the visitor, however, it more likely appears as if engaged in...