Points of green
In the poem entitled "Shadows in Llanbadarn’’, the narrator describes another person, looking for points of green on the soil in the middle of January. The points of green could mean here the presence of grass but considering the time when the character looks for those points, it is unlikely to find them. The points of green thus become a symbol, standing for hope and for the tendency to look for signs which will point to a better future.
Symbol for pain
In the poem entitled "Taid’s Funeral’’, the narrator describes the day in which her grandfather was buried. The narrator was told to take a fistful of gravels, and by the end of the funeral, her hands were bloodied and badly cut. The gravel came from the cemetery and it is used in this case as a symbol, to suggest the pain felt by the narrator at her grandfather’s funeral.
The tree
In many poems written by the narrator, trees are present. For example, in the poem "My Box’’, the narrator mentioned how there was a carved tree on the lid of a box she cherished and how she buried her beloved cat under a tree. The trees thus become a common motif in the poems but also a symbol, used to suggest the power a memory can have and durability.
Horses
The narrator describes in the poem "Roadblock’’ a dream she had, in which she was standing in the middle of the street and saw a beautiful horse which looked like it was made out of bronze. The horse did move while the narrator looked at it and the image of the horse reminded the narrator of the boys and men she loved during her life. Thus, the horse becomes used here as a symbol for the men the narrator loved at one point in her life.
Symbol for fertility
In the poem "The Hare’’, the narrator describes a friend of hers who despite her old age, still wished to have a child. Unfortunately, the woman dies soon after the conversation she had with the narrator who remarks that despite her old age, the woman continued to menstruate even in her death. The menstruation of the female character becomes a symbol in this case, being used to suggest the fertility she possessed.
