Poem themes

As the title would suggest, "For Women Who Are 'Difficult' to Love" places the theme of love at its center. The poem explores multiple aspects of love, closely examining them through the lens of a troubled relationship. The speaker says that the man in the relationship feels simultaneously attracted to and afraid of the woman's intensity. The speaker also describes the way in which the woman attempts to diminish herself in an effort to appease him, but says that this inevitably fails as she can feel him drifting from her. The speaker appears to believe that the woman must let him go in order to see herself and her value more clearly. The poem is about both the man's problematic and inadequate love as well as the woman's journey towards self-love. The speaker supports the woman's movement towards loving herself while revealing the selfishness that characterizes the man's semblance of love.