The poem
Lying apart now, each in a separate bed, He with a book, keeping the light on late, She like a girl dreaming of childhood, All men elsewhere - it is as if they wait Some new event: the book he holds unread, Her eyes fixed on the shadows overhead.
Tossed up like flotsam from a former passion, How cool they lie. They hardly ever touch, Or if they do, it is like a confession Of having little feeling - or too much. Chastity faces them, a destination For which their whole lives were a preparation.
Strangely apart, yet strangely close together, Silence between them like a thread to hold And not wind in. And time itself's a feather Touching them gently. Do they know they're old, These two who are my father and my mother Whose fire from which I came, has now grown cold?
This poem talks about a love that was one very powerful but with age has faded away. this poem has many themes eg; old age, love, death.
i think dis poem is about a couple dat have grown old together and their daughter thinks that their love has faded away but the truth is that their love has grown much deeper than she thinks thats why they are still together. they have gone beyond making love to show their love for eachother now the silence is okay for them and that is what they appreciate
I read this as a cold detachment between the parents. They sleep apart; sex is a confession (act of seeking forgiveness for sins committed--the seeker and the confessor); there is no connection with their thoughts. A sad poem because the daughter can see the parents merely staying together as a duty, not one of true, passionate love. The daughter states that the fire is gone from them.
This poem is so deep. The daughter's pain shows when she describes the way they rarely touch and when they do its only to sore of apologize for their faults. They may act so distant from each other when they are together but all those years being together has taught them to show their love and appreciation for each other with out all the touching and sexual affection. Over all, a very good poem. Really something to think about for adults as well as young people in relationships getting ready for marriage and spending a life time together in unity.
thinking through
indeed the two couples deducing from the poem are not as intimate as they use to, but are yet intimate in a unique way.........thus, understanding the times and seasons, their youthful passion is no more evident but the love between them bonds together.