For me, there is a poignance to this one that the title makes possible, which lifts it above the standard satire of suburbia. I think the volta is in L8. The speaker's sense of loss of self, to me, comes from being in an atmosphere of military uniformity that is undesired by the speaker. Even the beauty of apple blossom trees can be disturbing if everyone has them and they all look exactly the same. The speaker's desire to stay inside reads as a wish to escape the uniformity, as well as the disorientation. The speaker is "at sea" even though on land. And the residents' pitiful attempts to make these standard-issue homes personal are a dreadful warning that the speaker may also be forced into the same mold. I'm not saying that there aren't comical overtones here, but I feel a darker undertow.
Susan
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