Love and loss
In the poem entitled "Both Portraits’’, the main theme is that of love and loss. The narrator in the poem thinks about his beloved who left him a long time ago. The man continued to wait for the woman to return but she did not so her memory transformed into a shadow on the wall where her portrait used to be. In the narrator’s memory, the beloved turned into a mannequin, immobile and unmovable. This suggests that the narrator changed his perception on the woman and she was transformed into a ruthless person for him, someone incapable of loving anyone and someone who was a mannequin, not living. This suggests just how a person’s perception on someone can change when that person is hurt by someone who they loved and appreciated.
Finding the will to write
In the poem entitled "Inspiration’’, the narrator describes the tedious process through which he finds something to write about. He compares his literary inspiration with a feather he has to search all over in the world. The search process is described in the poem and through this description the reader can understand how the writing process is not an easy one and how the poet or writer has to make sacrifices and put a lot of effort into the work he produces. What is more, the poem does not present literary talent as being a capability someone receives at birth bur rather something that is cultivated in time.
The meaning of life
The poem entitled "Your Life as Found in a Toolbox’’ focuses on analyzing what truly matters in life and how can a person’s life receive meaning. The author goes on to list a number of thinks found in a common toolbox and also things that may be used to give life meaning. The enumeration is short and provides only a few basic things. What this suggests is that, in life, a person does not need much to succeed and that sometimes only the bare necessities are needed to live a completely meaningful and happy life.
