Chapter 25: “poem I wrote after calling someone a ‘darling of the scene’” Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Chapter Summary

Chapter 25 is a short, confessional poem titled “poem I wrote after calling someone a ‘darling of the scene.’” In it, the speaker directly addresses a person she recently called a “darling of the scene.” She apologizes for skipping a shared “yoga booty ballet” class, explaining that she did not sleep well the previous night. The apology quickly becomes a digression: the speaker is still “reeling” from a past sexual encounter with someone who did not know who Greta Gerwig is. The poem ends without further resolution, leaving the speaker’s guilt and embarrassment hanging in the air.

Key Events

The speaker apologizes to an unnamed person for missing a “yoga booty ballet” class they had signed up for together.
She cites insomnia as the immediate reason for her absence.
She reveals that she is still emotionally affected by a prior hookup with a person who was unfamiliar with film director Greta Gerwig.
The poem concludes with this confession unresolved, implying the speaker’s ongoing discomfort.

Character Development

The speaker (likely the author’s poetic persona) continues to display the self-deprecating, anxious voice that runs through the collection. Here she is caught between two social failures:

Bailing on a friend – The apology suggests she values the relationship but struggles to follow through on plans, possibly due to exhaustion or avoidance.
Dwelling on a shallow hookup – Her fixation on the partner’s cultural ignorance reveals a fear of being judged or of lacking intellectual compatibility in intimate settings.

The poem’s brevity and lack of conclusion mirror the speaker’s inability to move past minor social embarrassments. She overexplains herself while also hinting at deeper insecurities about belonging, desirability, and personal worth.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Social anxiety and apology – The poem is an act of post-hoc justification. The speaker cannot simply apologise; she must frame her absence within a larger narrative of sleeplessness and past romantic regret.
Cultural capital as a dating litmus test – The Greta Gerwig reference functions as a shorthand for a specific kind of modern, indie-film savvy. The partner’s ignorance marks them as an outsider, and the speaker’s lingering “reeling” suggests she uses cultural awareness to measure compatibility.
“Darling of the scene” – The title’s phrase hints at cliquishness. By calling someone a “darling of the scene,” the speaker positions both the addressee and herself within a social ecosystem where coolness and recognition matter. The poem examines the awkwardness that follows when such labels are attached to real people.
Insomnia and the performative self – The speaker’s lack of sleep becomes a ready excuse, but also a symbol of her restless, overthinking mind—unable to rest because she is still replaying past mistakes.

Why This Chapter Matters

Despite its brevity, Chapter 25 crystallizes several recurring threads in God I Feel Modern Tonight: the pressure to maintain a curated social image, the guilt of broken promises, and the way past romantic encounters can haunt present interactions. It also puts a fine point on Cohen’s comedic, detail-driven style—the absurd specificity of “yoga booty ballet” and the casual name-dropping of Greta Gerwig feel authentic to a certain millennial/Gen Z milieu. The chapter reminds readers that the smallest missteps can feel monumental to someone already prone to self-recrimination.

Study Questions

How does the poem’s structure (short lines, no stanzas, no closure) reinforce the speaker’s state of mind?
Answer: The unbroken, breathless flow mimics anxious overthinking. The lack of a concluding couplet or period suggests the speaker remains stuck in her rumination—there is no neat resolution to her guilt.
What does the Greta Gerwig reference reveal about the speaker’s values?
Answer: It shows she measures romantic partners against a cultural-literacy standard. Her embarrassment that the hookup “didn’t know / who Greta Gerwig is” indicates she values shared cultural references as a sign of compatibility, possibly as a way to feel superior or to avoid feeling isolated in her tastes.
Why might the speaker call someone a “darling of the scene” even though she appears anxious and self-deprecating?
Answer: The phrase can be read as both insult and compliment. By using it, the speaker momentarily adopts a critical, detached voice—perhaps to deflect her own insecurity. The apology that follows suggests the label felt mean or out of line, and she backtracks by confessing her own failures (sleep issues, bad hookups).