The first part of the poem, titled “December” paints the picture of a snowy night (presumably 3 AM after the poem’s title) where some poor people are still wandering around, carrying signs with different messages ranging from trivial advertisements to apocalyptic prophesies.
The second part of the poem (called “Early Evening Algebra”) describes a woman (declared insane by the speaker) as she walks around on an early evening in winter, secretly drawing Xs with chalk on the backs of couples holding hands. The speaker claims that a child gave her the chalk and starts looking for it.
The last part of the poem (titled “William and Cynthia”) is a conversation (reproduced in indirect speech by the speaker) of a “he” (presumably the aforementioned child) and a “she” (potentially the woman he gave the chalk to) about a visit to an old and dusty museum that the woman promised him. While she is frightened of the exhibits, he is reminded “of a country fair” (l. 37). In the end, she relents and admits that the museum shares some similarities with an old postcard featuring a loving couple. The name of this part could either refer to the two people having the conversation or the couple from the postcard.
