help me ! plz tell me your ideas and tell me about the tone?

Question

I waited for you
until the avocados on my table
turned to dust;
until my curtains faded
From the heat of my stare;
And my feet wore down the carpet
And the wood under it;
Until my plants all died
And the cat ranaway
To find a normal life;
Until my alarm clock exploded
And my fingernails became long knives;
Until the snow piled up to my third-floor windows.

I want you to konw
That I moved to a better location
Where time trots faster.
I have a new persian rug
And some healthy philodendrons
That complement my colour scheme
The members of my Tuesday-night group
Are so witty
That I'm collecting their bon mots
with some of my sketches and photographs
For a book to be published in time for Christmas.
Do look for it.
My phone number is unlisted.
I don't give out my adress
To just anyone,
And I'm rarely home.

If you tried to contact me, I wouldn't know it
If you pound on my door,
Sobbing my name,
The neighbors wouldn't recognize you
And would call the police.
You could have sent a letter to my old adress.
Saying "sorry" and "please" and "let me know"
But it never reached me.

If I still cry sometimes;
If I still wear the necklace you gave me
In the hope of absorbing your strenght,
The better to fight you
And to break hearts,
You never ask.
Your silence coats my walls
Like ice on rock.

Answer 1

This one is quite straightforward in meaning, as you've already discovered. The most poetic part of this one is the imagery she used. The tone, is determinedly aloof. She states fact after fact, but even the facts cannot hide the hurt she has suffered. By stating only facts, she's trying to prove that she has moved on, that he cannot hurt her any more. The wounds have obviously not healed yet though, and the old hurt remains. The old hurt is perhaps not as sharp, and she is no longer in denial about if he will return to her - in fact, she has done everything in her power so he cannot even contact her - because even if he would take her back, it is not worth the renewal of the pain. It would just be backtracking for her. She feels like there would be nothing to gain from it. By the end, you can see she almost hopes that he is hurting too by not being able to contact her. The possibility that he MAY (because it is very possible he made no such effort) have tried to apologize is a solace for all she has already gone through.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I would say the tone is "resolute." There is also a bit of disdain and pride there. The speaker has obviously gone through a break-up of some kind. She is distancing herself from the past and trying to sound cold and icy "My phone number is unlisted. I don't give out my address to just anyone" to match the level of the man's coldness ("silence coats my walls Like ice on rock"). It is a fragile coldness and cheerfulness, however, meant to protect her own feelings, and she admits she will "still cry sometimes."

Answer 4

When you are trying to figure out the tone it is helpful to isolate all the verbs into a list. Then do the same for the adjectives. Just by looking at these words you will clearly see the tone of this poem. Just look at the lists and ask yourself how those words make you feel. That's the tone. Give it a try!

Answer 5

well, as a summarized analysis, my best view on this poem's tone is desperation....the depression felt by the imagery-packed beginning and the bitterness being shot through all those verbal arrows in the last two stanzas are very well explored and deep but still not the whole truth of it is found in the second stanza because there you see the true newness/discomfort found in normalcy...the author is nothing without having this person with her, but equally at a loss with a regular so the void has to be filled by anger or any other outlet available...she doesn't want anyone to know, though, so she tries to make her new life seem all-important, fulfilling, and superior to anything 'he' may have now (she's always out,presumably with friends/important business, and in a better location with "witty" company) but really its just a glamourized version of that void...

For the record I think it says a lot that the author makes it clear that her bitterness has been turned on him as a way to return the favor of his disappointing disappearance (3rd stanza) and the world that she now has to contend with (4th stanza)...She DESPERATELY wants to be angry, strong, and blissfully alone...but really, she's only deeply scarred with pretty words as her only shield....

Answer 6

The tone is a very sad one. Other words that come to mind are denial, desperation and lonely.

Answer 7

Hi! I am no poetry critic, for sure, but many of your words rang true with me (I am fresh out of a relationship and it still hurts!) Sometimes, it's good to know you aren't alone, and that what you are going through has been done before. So thanks! Have a good one!