known for poems that give a voice
to the dispossessed (people
excluded from society); she
encourages the reader to put
themselves in the shoes of people
they might normally dismiss.
Subject
About feeling that arise
when spending time with
loved ones
Being with a loved one,
even for an hour is
precious
Presents traditional idea of
time being an obstacle to
lovers
Reference to money and riches, contrasting
concept of material wealth against love and
time spent with loved ones
Line 3 puns on the word
"spend" theme love and
money
"We find an hour together, spend it not on flowers
Or wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a
grass ditch."
Replaced "flowers" and "wine" for a
"whole of the summer sky" and "grass
ditch"
Rich in meaning, loving couple lying
down together and looking up
Time is important "For thousands of seconds we kiss" - excess
"thousands" limited by available time, shows how precious time is
to the writer. Seen as a 'treasure' to be carefully counted.
"Time slows, for here/we are millionaires,
backhanding the night" time is frozen. the hour
spent together has given a sense of power, they
can bribe the darkness to hold back, immense
joy and wealth
Contrast between traditional
romantic and ordinary "flowers" and
"grass ditch", "gold" and "straw"
emphasise the romance of the lovers
time together
Traditional romance
unimportant compared to
personal experience
Frequent reference to images of light. E.g.
"Bright", "summer sky", "Midas light", "shining
hour", "candle", "chandelier or spotlight"
"now" right now, only
thing that is important
Attitudes, themes and ideas
Love versus time "Time hates love"
"love spins gold, gold, gold
from straw" - Rumpelstiltskin
Love can find riches in
anything, straw or a grass
ditch
Enjoying intimacy in the
moment rather about
thinking of other things
Material possessions cannot
replace something as special
as time with loved ones