Beverly Hills, Chicago Summary

"Beverly Hills, Chicago" describes a scene in Chicago's affluent, predominantly white neighborhood of Beverly, also known as "Beverly Hills." In the scene, the speaker is driving through the neighborhood, and the implication is that neither they nor their passengers enjoy the privileges and standard of living associated with Beverly residents. The speaker first describes the lawns and gardens and exteriors of the homes, but by the third stanza, they are imagining what goes on inside the homes and implicitly comparing the lives of the Beverly Hills residents to their own. The final third of the poem turns inward toward the speaker's own attitude about class inequality in Chicago. They describe themselves not as furious or full of hatred, but as sharply aware of the better fortunes of Beverly residents compared to the residents of their own neighborhood, and their awareness leaves a sour taste in their mouth.