The Goose Fish
"The Goose Fish" features the self-same fish washing ashore to interrupt a couple lovers' romantic moment. They observe his strange small. Although dead, the fish seems to hint that he knows something which he hasn't told. The lovers decide to interpret his appearance as a hopeful symbol, thanks to his smile.
The Old Woman
In "The Vacuum" the narrator expresses his sorrow at seeing the vacuum neglected. His old woman died, marking the end of the vacuum's use. She was industrious, cleaning every obscure corner of the home. In her passing, the work seems useless because everything eventually ends.
The Novelists
Subjects of the poem "Novelists," these writers are described in the most patronizing terms. To Nemerov, these writers are only trying to love themselves to make up for the love they missed in childhood. They devote thousands of words to the exploration and declaration of themselves, in an act of ego. Motivated by some strange union of will and submission, they keep writing mysterious designed to express the depths of their interior unknown.
The Dog
The narrator of "Walking the Dog" contemplates the alternate world in which his canine friend exists. The dog has access to an entire wealth of information by way of scent which his owner will never understand. As a patient man, the narrator tries to accommodate the dog in his various exploits, however strange. He notes how the dog has taught him about the value of poop in its various forms as an indivisible symbol of life. Their relationship is give and take, but they must theorize about one another's thoughts in order to relate.
