Ship
The first poem in the collection is entitled "Ship’’ and is a short poem, without rhyme and without being structured as a normal poem would be. In the poem, the narrator is in a park, watching a boy playing with a toy boat. The boat makes the narrator think about her lover and how she disappeared from the narrator’s life in a short time. Despite this, the narrator is happy the boat stopped before her and because she had the opportunity to experience the love offered by the woman.
Text
The next poem is entitled "Text’’ and in this poem the narrator analyzes the way in which modern relationships are affected by the technological advancements of the age. The words lose their meaning when they are transited through a text and the meaning of the words becomes blurred for the narrator until she is no longer able to understand them.
"Little Red Cap’’ is a poem loosely based on the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood’’, mixed with various autobiographical elements. The first stanza of the poem presents how the girl meet the wolf, near the railway lines, at the edge of the woods. The second stanza describes the wolf and how the girl made sure she was seen by the wolf who then offered to buy her a drink.
In the next stanza, the narrator mentions how she lost her shoes in the woods and how her clothes were torn as she traveled in the woods. This may suggest her loss of innocence and virginity to the wolf. Next, the narrator mentions how she was searching for something inside his fur, a dove, symbolizing either her innocence or maybe her literary aspirations.
In the next stanza the narrator mentions how the bird escaped and was killed by the wolf, who at it. That very same night, the girl wakes up and goes to the books owned by the wolf and looks at them, analyzing the books.
In the next stanza the narrator reveals how ten years passed and how she eventually grew up and decided to leave. She killed the wolf while he slept and then she left the woods alone.
Havisham
The poem "Havisham’’ tells the story of a woman betrayed by her lover. The first stanza presents the feelings of hatred the woman has for the man and how she felt ready to kill him, should she have the chance.
The second stanza begins with the word "spinster’’, a derogatory term the narrator hates and the description of a dress inside a wardrobe that reminds the narrator she is alone. The poem ends with a disturbing image, the narrator asking for a male corps to live with and a wedding cake she can stab and take her anger out.
Elvis’s Twin Sister
The poem begins with a quote from one of Elvis’s songs called "Are you lonely?’’ and then by a quote from Madonna claiming Elvis is alive and she is a woman. Then, the narrator described a woman in a garden, taking care of the plants. The narrator claims she is called Sister Presley and that she moves just like the late singer.
In the next stanza, the narrator talks about how she sings in the gardens and she mentions a list of holy elements as well as elements associated with the rock music. The poem ends with the narrator claiming she is Elvis and she is alive and well.
