Point of View

“Blues for Forgotten Music” is told from the first-person point of view using the pronoun “I”, which is the very first line of the poem. Through the use of repetition this pronoun appears over and over again at the start of successive lines. The focus of the poem is on the speaker’s decaying experiences, and so this repeated use of the word “I” suggests the speaker is trying to cling to their identity. This is contrasted against the anonymity of the speaker’s past lovers, who are never named. The poem seems to say that although these memories and connections are waning, the speaker’s sense of self remains. The poem also acknowledges that the speaker is alone in their life, and so that sense of identity becomes even more important.

Language and Meaning

First published in 2006, this poem uses contemporary, conversational language that...