“The Island Within” begins as the speaker remembers an image from the previous night at Ruth Behar’s house. The speaker compares the porch light to “a full moon casting a foggy halo / in the frigid air” (Lines 2-3), emphasizing a juxtaposition of light and darkness. Blanco extends the image of the dark, cold night for several lines, citing the “bare oaks / branching into the sky like nerve endings” (Lines 3-4) and the “frozen stars” (Line 5), drawing attention to the cold temperatures of Michigan and introducing a feeling of entrapment in Line 6: “the pink gables of your Victorian home / protesting yet another winter for you / captive in Ann Arbor” (Lines 6-8). The word “captive” (Line 8) rings out as the first word of Line 8, characterizing Behar’s living situation as one that she has not chosen for herself. Life in America, where Behar is separated from her Cuban upbringing and her cultural roots, feels like a form of imprisonment.

The speaker draws the reader into the living room of the house with the use of the present progressive tense: “I’m following / your red-velvet shoes” (Lines 9-10). This shift to the immediate moment indicates a change in the tempo of the poem as the speaker describes Behar as “[practicing] / mambo by the fireplace” (Line 9) and dancing to the “conga beats / and bongo taps” (Lines 10-11), and this cold, winter night comes alive with the heat of Cuban dance.