Old and Young
“Old and Young” is poem written in a second-person singular point of view in which two men, young and old, are looking at each other’s eyes in the mirror. The setting is a dressing room before a performance. The two men looking at each other in the mirror have an understanding at that moment beyond that of looking at each other directly. The mirror is a medium of that transcendental understanding.
The Old Man at the Wheel
The poem “The Old Man at the Wheel” is a poem about contemplating choices in life after old age has come. It is told in second-person singular. The “you” referred to by the omniscient speaker could be a way of indirectly addressing oneself, because the poem mentions the process of writing the poem, showing traits of metafiction.
Self-Portrait, 1969
The poem “Self-Portrait, 1969” is a poem written in third-person singular and portrays a man in his thirties, who begins to see the angry and unsatisfied face of his mother in his own face. He feels unfulfilled, unhappy with life. He once thought that insight and knowledge would fulfill him, but he realizes he was wrong. He craves change even if it is an impending disaster. As the title itself suggest it is a poem of self-reflection by the author.
