The subordinating clause of this sentence is... when we went to the Fourth of July picnic. Hope this helps!
Essentially the poem is about triumph over adversity. It is about strength and courage, and fortitude. It is about not accepting one's vulnerability in the face of domination. And basically it is about joining together with one voice and saying, we will overcome!
At the end, Dade and Julian both feel very lonely in the world, but in very different ways. Julian feels alone physically
