" Stethoscope"

"Stethoscope": 

Is "Stethoscope" one long poem or seven short ones? (Notice how each poem/section is five stanzas long, the first four w/ 3 lines, the final two (a couplet).)

"Stethoscope" is in memory of poet and fiction writer, Denis Johnson. What do these poems/sections seem to say? Can they be read together? Do they speak to each other?

I find that, when confronted w/ a long poem, it helps to focus on specific lines and passages. So, for instance, what do you make of the end of "The Judgement After the Last":

...Go to the movies, do research,
be the Regulator forced to kill kill kill

and that's when we'll find out just who we are
or if there's anything like 'who' anymore.



I think " Stethoscope " is seven short poems  since they were broken up into separate parts. each one of them told a different story and had little titles in the beginning of it. Maybe all the stories are connected into one big one since they intertwine with each other.
The poems together seem to say the thoughts of a narrator and some hardships and questions they have about life/the world. In nearly all the poems I can see a question being asked for example " our generation has had its time?" . If the poems are in the memory of Denis Johnson it could be him question events in his life so they intersect with one another. I think that the poems do speak to each other going over topics such as love which is universal.
I agree that breaking down the poem is the best way to understand it especially if the poem ends up being too long, it could be hard to digest.The ending lines in " The Judgement after the last" is about being human and human instinct. To me the poem goes over the ideology of the human and what is deemed " normal " by society . but the author wants to see how far can it go till you realize humans are animals by nature and can kill. how far will it go till its breaking point?