Summary

The first section of the collection is a singular poem titled "Threshold." The speaker describes watching their father shower through the keyhole of the bathroom door, and listening to him singing. Their father's song makes them feel "alive," but one morning their father pauses to listen for the sound of the speaker breathing behind the door (3). This leads the speaker to reflect that they did not know the cost of hearing the song, and that it caused them to lose "it all" (4).

Analysis

"Threshold" acts as the poetic prologue to the entire collection, coming before the three main sections of the book. The word "threshold" has two meanings. The first describes the bottom of a doorway which must be crossed in order to enter a space, thus placing this poem at the entrance of the collection. The second definition describes a level of...