To His Coy Mistress

This poem is about a man who is trying to make a make a woman hurry up and love him. In the time it was writen, the 1600's, it would be the worst thing she could do. He is underhanded and is just telling her things she wants to hear so he can have his way with her. He tells her all these beautiful things that she would like to hear, and wonderfull things that they could do together if they only had the time. Why do they have so little time is? Is one of them going to die soon from a disease? Or is the use of the word mistress meaning that he already has a wife to spend all his time with. He goes on about how little time they have, then he turns darker and talks of death and vaults, and "worms shall try that long preserved virginity" - did he really need to go there? He seems like a slimeball to me.

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter

The title reminds me of someone realizing that they have a over due bill and hurrying to get it dropped off. As I read it though it seems that they are mailing a letter to a secret love. There is a lot of lonliness and secrets. The persona welcomes an "abandonded" street. Why was the word abandoned chosen and not empty? Choosing to mail a letter late at night while it is freezing and snowing is a good time to not be asked any questions. The persona used the word love to describe a snowy night. I think the word choices are hints. I think that the mailer of the letter has been abandonded but refuses to give up hope on lost love. The late night is the ideal time to not be criticized or thought pitiful. The snowy weather could also be a sign for lonlieness. Hemingway used rain to show something bad was about to happen, maybe Bly was using a similar technique. Another hint to this theory is the last line " Driving around, I will waste more time" The letter being mailed is a waste of time and it is known.

Not Waving, but Drowning

The title alone, before reading the poem makes me think of a drowning person desperatly flailing and someone not recognizing it is a cry for help. As I read the poem i realize that the man is dying and they are already passing him as off as dead. They say he is " moaning" but call him dead. The last line:
"I was much too far out all my ife
And not waving but drowning"
That line , to me, means that he never got paid any attention. He was never noticed no matter how he acted or what he did. The remark about larking, or harmless pranks, shows that he was trying to get attention. This poem makes me think of a very lonely person with a sad life.
The line "I was much further out than you noticed" is saying that no one took the time to realize he needed help.