Two Becoming One

The central theme of the poem revolves around the way that love creates a union between two people. It argues for this union through language, of course, but also through punctuation, structure, and formatting. These literal and visual metaphors dramatize the collapse of separate entities into one being. The titular metaphor introduces a striking image: “i carry your heart with me(i carry it / in my heart)” (1-2). This image of one heart inside another suggests that the lovers are inseparable and also symbiotic; they are so deeply connected that what affects one also affects the other.

The speaker uses metaphors to make their connection with their beloved clear. In lines 5 and 6 the speaker places their lover as the answer to their existential question: “i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)," showcasing how love combats anxiety over one's mortality. In...