Milk and Honey

Early in the collection, the poet-author-speaker draws a connection between the experiences about which she is writing and the image of "milk and honey" which, in traditional interpretations, tends to represent concepts of prosperity, freedom, and safety. Throughout the remainder of the collection, honey appears as a metaphoric representation of different experiences of sweetness, particularly sexual and emotional. There is also a strong sense of connection between these experiences and the representation of honey being at least a part of the positive, identity-related concepts outlined above. Interestingly, there are virtually no references to milk, if any, elsewhere in the collection.

Pregnancy

Early in the collection, there are references to how different experiences of pregnancy - fullness and power during, emptiness after - play key roles in defining a woman's relationship with her body. This, in turn, becomes a central aspect of the collection's overall...