We need enormous pockets, pockets big enough for our families, and our friends, and even the people who aren't on our lists, people we've never met but still want to protect. We need pockets for boroughs and for cities, a pocket that could hold the universe. But I knew that there couldn't be pockets that enormous. In the end, everyone loses everyone. There was no invention to get around that, and so I felt, like the turtle that everything else in the universe was on top of.
In the passage, the speaker expresses a longing for vast pockets that would provide safety and comfort not just for loved ones, but for all people, including strangers. This yearning symbolizes a desire for protection and connection in an increasingly lonely world. However, the speaker recognizes the impracticality of such an expansive notion, acknowledging that it is impossible to create pockets that can encompass everything and everyone.
The realization is bittersweet; despite the desire to shield those around us, the speaker understands the inevitability of loss and separation. The metaphor of being like a turtle, burdened by everything on top of it, illustrates the weight of these unfulfilled aspirations. In essence, the text captures a sense of vulnerability amid the wish for an all-encompassing safety net amidst the chaos of life.
