However, to read the book through a strictly biographical lens is to shut off several of its channels. “Dedication” is a coda for Mean Free Path, describing a state of the union as well as a state of mind. It’s written in the first person, but it is a diffuse “I” that says:

                        For I felt nothing,
                                     which was cool,
                        totally cool with me.
                        For my blood was cola.
                        For my authority was small
                        involuntary muscles
                                     in my face.
                        For I had some work done
                                     on my face.

But, after all, Lerner is trying to write a love poem, which means that among all the distractions, he does have to ground his I. The poem suggests such a shift is possible, which Lerner illustrates in the way his “for” transitions from the head of a mannered litany of personal and cultural excuses to the dedication “For Ariana,” which immediately becomes less formal in reiteration: “For Ari.” Throughout the book, Ari will be a stabilizing force among disjunctive narrative strains—when her name appears, the mean-free path through language becomes more apparent. Naturally, “mean” is given a full workout in the book, from concerns with coherence to missile trajectories to tones of civility and affection. And, of course, the title “Dedication” takes on additional resonance in terms of his project: The poem, and Ben, are dedicated to Ari, and Ben is dedicated to writing a love poem that is engaged with the world. For the poem is also offered to his readers.
            Lerner is defensive about his love poem, just as he describes, in fits and starts, a defensive nation, where we are unified by interminable lines at the airport. He repeatedly warns away those who are discomfited by “the irrelevant I” and solipsism of romantic lyricism, sometimes in hostile tones:

                   There is no such thing as non sequitur
                   When you’re in love. Let those who object
                   To the pathos swallow their tongues. My numb
                   Rebarbative people, put down your Glocks
                   And your Big Gulps. ...

Critics beware, haters begone, trigger-happy consumer culture back off, this is love!    
            In hand with the cut-up structure, just about every line supports multiple readings, and words are used for all they’re worth. Lerner uses the term “virga,” taking advantage of its secondary definition the phenomenon of precipitation from the undersurface of clouds that evaporates before reaching the ground. But the primary definition refers to a symbol used in plainsong notation to designate a long, two-beat note. Plainsong is a principal melody accompanied by a running melody or counterpoint, which is an apt description of Mean Free Path’s structure. Lerner makes several references to music (e.g., “What if I made you hear this as music”), signifying classical notions of poetry as song, as well as Dopplered stereo sound in public spaces. His complex structure and referentiality is symphonic, which deepens the music of the volume. When the poem evokes the death of a friend by hanging, Lerner uses the term “ligature,” which is variously defined as a tie, a bond, a method of notation indicating the binding of musical notes, and the connections of letters in typesetting, all of which reverberate through the book.