Love Song

"Love Song"

I find this poem to be very intriguing. I personally think that this poem speaks of someone who is in love with a close friend and that the friend is oblivious to his emotions. Also, I think that he is unsure of letting his feelings known to the significant other, but knows that they would be right for each other. I've come to this theory because in lines 2-6 it says, "How shall I lift it gently up over you on to other things? I would so very much like to tuck it away among long lost objects in the dark among long lost objects in the dark." Within these lines I can picture a guy constantly asking himself whether or not he should tell his friend about his feelings for her. Through my own personal experiences, I can honestly say that having feelings towards a close friend can be an extremely tricky situation. On the one hand, if the friend has similar feelings towards you then it could turn out to be one of the greatest relationship experiences of your life. On the other hand, if these feelings are not mutually felt then you risk losing a close friend.

Even though I think that the poet makes the first part of the poem sound as if the person in love is having a hard time letting his feelings be known, I still believe that the remaining lines of the poem speak of hope. In lines 8-9 where it says, "And yet everything which touches us, you and me, takes us together like a single bow." To me, this sounds like the guy is willing to accept the fact that even though the one he is in love with does not feel the same, he will still stick by her through thick and thin. Personally, I think that says a lot about a person's character. I have nothing but respect for anyone who is willing to put aside their own personal wants and needs in order to make the one they love happy, even if that person's happiness does not include him.

Now if I were to add race to this equation I can find whole new interpretations opening up. For example, if the speaker and the one he is in love with are of different races, then you can interpret this poem to be not just about love but of their struggle to make their love work in a society where interracial relationships are looked down upon. Now if we say that this couple's race is white and black, then the words in lines 1-3 take on a whole new meaning. With the addition of race I interpret these lines as a black man trying to find a way for his love for a white woman to be known without