- 1
What is the fantasy at the center of "Torso of Air"?
The poem imagines the possibility of freeing oneself from past pain ("bruises"), or having the pain itself set one free ("your shadow replaced / by a black wolf"), and coming close to happiness. The poem seems to wonder whether if a person found a way to happiness, they would be able to take it at all.
- 2
How do "Deto(nation)" and "To My Father / To My Future Son" compare to other poems about fathers in the book?
Fathers are a haunting and haunted presence in this book, but in most of the poems, the father has been an external character, distinct from the speaker. "Deto(nation)" builds a father within the speaker,...
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