The poem’s title illustrates that it is set in a particular—and significant—time in the speaker’s life, the last period of her teenage years. Her 19th summer symbolizes a portal to the larger world, as well as a break from childhood. At the beginning of the second stanza, the speaker asserts her age during that significant summer once again, stating, “At nineteen it was my first summer away from home” (Line 9). Here, 19 marks a movement away from the familiar, safe, and somehow bland world of home.

The speaker’s recalled youth is central to the poem’s mood and premise. In the first stanza, she notes that she was “the baby” (Line 4) among her friends, drinking rum and coke while they smoked marijuana. She notes that she was a “fool” (Line 12) in love, implying her naivete and idealism. Her curiosity and questions also symbolize her youthfulness. At the same time, she takes charge of her life like a grown-up, forging a new relationship, staying away from home, and experimenting with her newfound freedom. Thus, 19 also symbolizes a threshold between the speaker’s child and adult selves.