Conversation
Conversation is a beautiful poem that revolves around a conversation between the speaker of the poem and someone she loves who is now dead. This poem seems to be an elegy, despite the casual tone. The speaker begins with asking the dead person how it feels to be so, and the dead person responds in a rather philosophical way, talking about how one couldn't survive all of that if they were alive. In this poem, the poet contemplates the very nature of death and decay and this poem is filled with visual imagery that adds to that element.
Disregard
While the title is quite ambiguous, this poem seems to describe the life and struggles of the "you" and "I" in the poem. Ogawa is known for giving voice to the poor, working class masses, and this poem seems to be a part of that tradition. The poet talks about how much two people are taken apart due to the necessities of quotidian life, so much so that they don't even notice each other till the end of the day.
Interview With a Policeman
This poem is a social commentary on the reality of the lives of black people. The speaker of the poem speaks in a confrontational tone.
In this poem, the speaker talks about the voiceless and how the stories of black people are never really told. The speaker wonders why the reporter wants his story considering that his perspective will never see the light of day. Oddly, the policeman seems to be quite incisive in his tone and does not wish to talk to the reporter. He asks the reporter if he wants to know about the liquor store incident and the unfortunate death of the black kid. Using the voice of the policeman, the poet throws a new light on the issue of racism.
