Poetry In reading “180 More” by Billy Collins, I read several poems that I really enjoyed but the 5 that I chosen for this week topic is; “Happiness”, “Tariff”, “The Albatross”, “Ever
After” and the last one is “Please Come Late”. I see these poems as about relationships, love and possibly the failures of these relationships. In the poem “The Albatross” by Kate Bass, the writer is speaking in first person. I am reading into this poem about a relationship that the she has and when she puts on the necklace she is thinking about him and her relationship that she has with them. You can see this when the writer writes –I wait until I hear a gate latch lift the turn of the key in lock. I sit amongst toys and unwashed clothes. I sit and she fingers the beads until you speak in a voice that no longer seems familiar, only strange. (28) I feel that the writer is telling us that she waiting for him to come home but she really does not how to react to the emotions that overcoming and all she can do is put on the necklace to possibly remember the good times they once had and she is hoping that he has not forgotten the good times either. “Please Come Late” written by Hugo Williams, he is speaking in the first person. I want to say the theme is romance, I say this because I am reading into this poem that either a man or woman is waiting on the other to show up for a date. “Make me suffer, wondering what you are doing on the other side of town still in your dressing gown make me beg for mercy when you pick up a magazine. (55) When you read this it makes you think of the other person is sitting and waiting for their loved one to show up and has the person is sitting and waiting it is making them suffer because they are “in love” and they are hoping the person shows up, because the pain of them not showing up would be devastating. In Joyce Sutphen poem “Ever After” I am reading that this poem is also in first person. The theme to me could be a range of things but since it mainly talking about a married couple I am going to say that the main theme would be romance. When she talking about in the first eight lines- What I am to you now that you are no longer what you used to be to me? Who are we to each other now that there is no us, now that what we once were is divided into you and me who are not one but two separate and unrelated persons except for that ex- that goes in front of the words. (92) This poem is telling us that at one time they were happy and were in love and something in their relationship became broken and it all ended for no particular reason. The poem really gives us no indication of why the marriage ended but if you think about why a lot of marriages end. “Happiness” by Jane Kenyon was written in the first person. As I read and reread this poem, I am seeing many meanings in this poem. I have always