The Sea
In the poem "Identity and Community (There is no "I" in "Sea,") the sea symbolizes the poet's feelings of isolation and alienation from her own community. She explains that the sea is difficult to enter and that she is "too afraid to go in." While visiting the seaside, she has the "familiar sense of being left out, too far to glean the secret," extending this idea to include other areas in her life where she feels like an outcast.
Climate Change
The issue of climate change is a key motif, seen throughout this collection of poetry. Shaughnessy sees climate change as an issue that must be dealt with soon, or else it will cause the downfall of humanity. In this collection, this apocalyptic future takes the form of a society similar to ours apart from the fact that "Octopodes" have taken over as a direct result of climate change. She shows that our journey towards an apocalyptic future is already underway, and we must take drastic action to stop what has already started.
